Many Americans are moving away from congregations, but not necessarily from religion – movies, plays, art and social media fill the gap

Researchers studying American religious life argue that surveys asking about congregation membership, service attendance, and prayer habits are missing a large share of how people actually engage with religion today. Their multi-year interview project found Americans exploring Jewish identity through Broadway shows, Netflix series, retreats, and social media communities rather than synagogues.

The scholars profiled individuals who scored as religiously disengaged on conventional metrics but described deep, sustained engagement with Jewish learning and culture through concerts, TV, and online fan communities. They argue the same informal-learning pattern likely applies well beyond Judaism, to Christian podcast listeners and Muslim online study groups alike.

The takeaway offered is that the rise of the religiously unaffiliated may reflect a migration away from institutions rather than from religious life itself, and that survey design needs to catch up.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.