Originally published July 24, 2023 11:02 am PDT

Recent survey results from Gallup have shed light on American beliefs in five significant spiritual entities—God, angels, heaven, hell, and the devil.

The research, conducted between May 1-24, 2023, indicates an overall decline in such beliefs, with the number of believers dropping between three to five percentage points since 2016.

However, the report confirmed, “Majorities believe in each, ranging from a high of 74% believing in God to lows of 59% for hell and 58% for the devil.”

Despite the decline, it is essential to note that nearly “two-thirds each believe in angels (69%) and heaven (67%).”

Moreover, the proportion of Americans unsure about their belief in these entities ranges from 13% to 15%.

The Gallup report reveals a shift in spiritual belief patterns, noting, “As the percentage of believers has dropped over the past two decades, the corresponding increases have occurred mostly in nonbelief, with much smaller increases in uncertainty.”

This trend was observed in all spiritual entities but God, where uncertainty and nonbelief have seen nearly equal rises.

Frequent churchgoers, Protestants, including nondenominational Christians, and Republicans, show the highest belief rates in these spiritual entities.

Conversely, fewer than 25% of Americans with no religious affiliation profess belief in any of these spiritual concepts, more likely expressing nonbelief than uncertainty.

When examining different subgroups, some interesting patterns emerge.

“Protestants are more likely than Catholics to believe in each of the five entities,” according to the report.

Additionally, those with lower annual household incomes and adults aged 55 and older are more likely to believe in each of the spiritual concepts.

Furthermore, women are found to be more likely to believe in all spiritual entities, excluding the devil, which is believed in equally by both genders at 58%.

Despite the overall decrease in belief, the survey results show “Belief in the five spiritual entities has declined among most of these subgroups since 2001 but has held relatively steady among weekly and nearly weekly or monthly church attendees, Protestants, and Republicans.”

In conclusion, the Gallup report underlines a trend in declining spiritual beliefs amongst Americans.

It states, “Americans’ beliefs regarding God, angels, heaven, hell and the devil have also fallen by double digits since 2001.”

Yet, it reassures that “U.S. adults’ belief in each entity remains at the majority level.”