One-in-five Americans share their faith online

In an average week, one-in-five Americans share their religious faith online, about the same percentage that tune in to religious talk radio, watch religious TV programs or listen to Christian rock music, according to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center.

Religious engagement through electronic media generally complements – rather than replaces – traditional kinds of religious participation, such as going to church, and Americans who say they frequently attend religious services are more likely to engage in electronic religious activities.

The survey, conducted May 30 to June 30 among 3,217 respondents from the American Trends Panel, finds that 20% of Americans said they had shared their religious faith on social networking websites or apps in the past week, while 46% said they had seen someone else share “something about their religious faith” online. Fully 23% said they had watched a religious TV program, while similar shares said they listened to religious talk radio (20%) or listened to Christian rock music (19%). By way of comparison, in Pew Research telephone surveys conducted in 2014, 35% of Americans have reported attending religious services at least once a week.

The survey also finds that white evangelicals and black Protestants share their faith online, watch religious TV and listen to religious talk radio more often than other large U.S. religious groups. Young adults (ages 18-29) are about twice as likely as Americans ages 50 and older to see people sharing their faith online.

For the full report, go to http://www.pewforum.org/2014/11/06/religion-and-electronic-media/. This survey is for immediate release and is available at the Pew Research Center website at http://www.pewresearch.org.