As Ohioans come of age and leave their parents’ homes, there is evidence showing that they are also leaving their parents’ religion behind.
A new survey from Pew Research Center found that 36% of adults in Ohio have switched religions, with their current religious identity differing from the one they were raised as.
And, Christianity is seeing the biggest losses with the switches, according to Pew.
Overall, the decline of Christianity in the United States has been leveling off of late, according to results from Pew’s third Religious Landscape Study, released in February.
Smoke rises as Ayi Adjanoh waves incense during the Ash Wednesday Service at St. Joseph Cathedral on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
But, in Ohio, Christianity has lost far more people than it has gained through religious switching, according to a custom analysis of the state by Pew.
Meanwhile, the population of those who identify as religiously unaffiliated is gaining more people than it loses through religious switching.
In Ohio, 64% of Ohio adults identify as Christian, and 24% identify as former Christians, according to Pew. The Buckeye state claims 21% of adults who now describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated, despite being raised in a religious tradition.
Ohioan’s religious decisions are similar to those of the U.S. adult population overall, according to Pew. More U.S. adults (35%) than Ohio adults have switched religions since childhood, with 22% of U.S. adults identifying as former Christians and 20% saying they are religiously unaffiliated but were raised in a religious tradition.
How Christian is Columbus? New Pew survey sheds light on religion in the United States
Overall, 83% of Ohio adults were raised as Christians, according to Pew.
Only 5% of Ohio adults became Christian after being raised in another religion.
Those who have left religion behind outnumber those who have stopped identifying as religiously unaffiliated by about a 5 to 1 margin, according to Pew.
Underserved Communities Reporter Danae King can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @DanaeKing.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Christianity sees biggest losses when it comes to Ohio adults. See why
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