Tradition and Change Among Latter-day Saints in the U.S.

# Overview Pew Research Center's recent reporting finds the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is both stable in some core characteristics and changing on others. The group continues to be a small share of the U.S. population, yet highly religious and largely aligned with the Republican Party. At the same time, Pew's comparisons to past surveys reveal demographic shifts and modest changes in religious practice and social attitudes.

# Size and religious intensity Latter-day Saints have comprised between 1% and 2% of U.S. adults for at least four decades. They consistently rank among the most religious groups in the country by several measures. In the 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study (RLS), about seven-in-ten Latter-day Saints say religion is very important in their lives. That level of importance is comparable to evangelical Protestants and members of historically Black Protestant churches, and notably higher than several other religious groups:

• U.S. Catholics: 44% say religion is very important.
• Jews: 27% say religion is very important.
• Buddhists: 21% say religion is very important.

# Political orientation

# Signs of change since 2007 Pew's comparisons across survey waves point to several clear shifts within the Latter-day Saint population since 2007:

• Increased demographic diversity. The composition of the group has become more varied racially and ethnically.
• Fewer households with children under 18. A substantially smaller share of Latter-day Saints are raising children at home.
• Slight declines in some religious-practice measures. Daily prayer rates and other routine practices have decreased modestly.
• Modest liberalization on certain social and political issues. On topics such as homosexuality, attitudes among Latter-day Saints have shifted somewhat toward more liberal positions.

# What this means for readers If you want a concise picture: the Latter-day Saint community remains a distinct, relatively small, and highly religious segment of American religion and politics. Pew's data show continuity in core commitments and partisan leanings, alongside measurable demographic and attitudinal changes since 2007. Those trends matter for anyone tracking religion and public life because they reflect how a clearly defined religious community is evolving over time.

# Where the report provides context