Religious Conservatives Tend to Be Pretty Old

Ticker

Monika Bauerlein,
CEO

Dear Reader,

The next few months are make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising, and we need more online readers to pitch in than have been of late. In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we take a level-headed look at the brutal economics of journalism, why investigative reporting like you get from us matters, and why we're optimistic we can grow our base of support in a big way—starting with hitting a huge $300,000 goal in just three weeks. Please learn more and donate if you can right now.

The next few months are make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising. We need to raise $300,000 quickly, and we need more online readers to pitch in than have been. Please learn more in "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," where we go into the brutal economics of journalism, and what makes Mother Jones unique and worth supporting if you can right now.

There’s nothing surprising here, but Brookings has a new report out about the fate of religious progressives in the political arena (short version: things don’t look too hot), and it includes the data on the right about the demographics of religion in America.

Bottom line: religious conservatives are old. Nearly two-thirds are over 50. Conversely, the unaffiliated are young: two-thirds are under 50. But what does this mean? There are two possibilities:

Religious conservatives are a dying breed. Once the boomers start dying off, so will the Christian Right.
Religious folks get more conservative as they get older, so these demographic numbers won’t change much over time. When the Gen Xers pass 50, they’re going to start attending megachurches too.

Take your pick.