(AGENPARL) – gio 19 maggio 2022 You are subscribed to News from the John W. Kluge Center from the Library of Congress.
Starting Soon – Pillars of Democracy: Churches and Other Civic Institutions
Join the John W. Kluge Center, the Brookings Institution, and the American Enterprise Institute for a conversation on churches and other civic institutions, how their status has changed over the years, and how American attitudes towards civil society are likely to look in the future.
The role of churches and other civic institutions in American life has changed a great deal in recent decades and it is likely to continue to do so. As has been the case since the nation’s founding, a majority of Americans call themselves Christians, and religious belief animates some of the most active and consequential movements shaping political life. But the proportion of Americans with no religious affiliation has grown quickly in the 21st century, to nearly a third of all adults, as the proportion of Christians has declined. Christians report praying less and placing less importance on religion in their own lives. Smaller religious communities have also gained more prominence in American life, as the nation moves towards a more secular and multi-cultural conception of itself.
Civic institutions have taken a similar trajectory. Civil society organizations that at one time provided a communal framework connecting Americans to one another have declined in importance since the mid-20th century, and new formations have not replaced them. In many ways, Americans are less and less frequently members of groups that give them identity and place in their communities, leading to a more atomized culture.