Jehovah's Witnesses in the U.S.

The decease of superstar musician Prince has prompted many reflections on his life – including his religious organized religion. Prince, who was raised as a 7th-twenty-four hour period Adventist, became a Jehovah's Witness as an developed and attended services in his dwelling house state of Minnesota.

Jehovah's Witnesses, who make upwards just less than one% of U.S. adults, are known for their door-to-door proselytism. Only members of this denomination, which has its origins in 19th-century America, are also unique in many other ways. Here are a few facts about Jehovah's Witnesses in the The states today, based on Pew Research Heart'south Religious Mural Study:

Demographics

Jehovah's Witnesses are among the about racially and ethnically various religious groups in America. No more than than four-in-x members of the group belong to any 1 racial and ethnic groundwork: 36% are white, 32% are Hispanic, 27% are black and six% are another race or mixed race.

Most Jehovah's Witnesses – roughly two-thirds (65%) – are women, while simply 35% are men. Christians worldwide are more than likely to be women than men, just this gender gap is particularly large in the context of U.Due south. Christian groups. For instance, 54% of U.S. Catholics are women.

Compared with other U.Southward. religious groups, Jehovah'south Witnesses tend to be less educated. A solid majority of adult Jehovah'south Witnesses (63%) have no more than a loftier schoolhouse diploma, compared with, for example, 43% of evangelical Protestants and 37% of mainline Protestants.

Jehovah'due south Witnesses accept a low retention rate relative to other U.S. religious groups. Amidst all U.S. adults who were raised equally Jehovah'due south Witnesses, two-thirds (66%) no longer identify with the group. By contrast, about two-thirds of those who were raised every bit evangelical Protestants (65%) and Mormons (64%) notwithstanding say they are members of those corresponding groups.

On the flip side, about two-thirds (65%)  of current adult Jehovah'south Witnesses are converts – like Prince, they were raised in some other faith.

Religious behavior and practices

Jehovah's Witnesses place every bit Christians, but their beliefs are unlike from other Christians in some ways. For instance, they teach that Jesus is the son of God merely is not part of a Trinity.

By traditional measures of religious delivery, Jehovah'south Witnesses are one of the most highly religious major U.S. religious groups. Nine-in-ten Jehovah'due south Witnesses (90%) say religion is very important in their lives, while similar shares say they believe in God with absolute certainty (ninety%) and that the Bible is the word of God (94%).

Our survey found at least two other interesting ways in which Jehovah's Witnesses stand out in their beliefs. For i, while half of Jehovah's Witnesses say they believe in heaven, very few (seven%) say they believe in hell, the traditional paradigm of which is challenged by the denomination'south teaching. The share of all U.S. Christians who believe in hell is 10 times larger (70%). And most Jehovah's Witnesses (83%) say their organized religion is the 1 true faith leading to eternal life; only well-nigh three-in-x U.S. Christians (29%) believe this about their own religious religion.

Compared with U.Southward. Christians overall, Jehovah's Witnesses are especially likely to say they nourish religious services at least in one case a calendar week (85%, compared with 47% of all U.Due south. Christians), pray daily (90% of Jehovah'south Witnesses vs. 68% of all U.S. Christians) and – perhaps not surprisingly – share their faith with others at least one time a week (76% vs. 26%). They likewise are more likely than U.S. Christians overall to participate in prayer or scripture report groups and to read scripture at least weekly, among other religious behaviors.

Social and political views

Like many other highly religious Christians, Jehovah'southward Witnesses tend to take conservative positions on social issues. For example, three-quarters (75%) say abortion should be illegal in all or well-nigh cases, while similar shares oppose same-sex matrimony and say homosexuality should exist discouraged by society (76% each). Roughly three-quarters of Jehovah'due south Witnesses (74%) also reject development, saying humans take always existed in their nowadays form since the beginning of time.

But Jehovah's Witnesses do non normally advocate for these behavior in the political sphere. The denomination teaches that its members should remain politically neutral and abjure from voting or participating in "whatsoever action to modify governments."

This is reflected in our polling. Three-quarters of Jehovah's Witnesses (75%) say they are political independents who do not lean toward either major party. Half (50%) decline to reply a question about political credo (i.e., whether they draw their political views equally conservative, moderate or liberal). And most Jehovah's Witnesses (64%), when asked if they are registered to vote, say they are not registered or decline to reply the question.

Note: The final two paragraphs under the "Demographics" department were added on April 27, 2016.

Michael Lipka is an editorial manager of religion research at Pew Inquiry Heart.