As a guest, the singer and performer Dua Lipa recently turned the tables on the late-night TV talk show host Stephen Colbert and asked him about his faith. Colbert replied that he is a Christian and a Catholic and emphasized that love and sacrifice are fundamental to his worldview. He also stressed that death does not imply defeat.
While many Americans still say religion is important in their lives, Gallup reports that the percentage of adults in the United States who say religion is important in their lives has dropped from 66% in 2007 to 49% in 2025. This is the largest drop of any other country in the world and the first time that believers are no longer in the majority in the United States.
Religion gives purpose and meaning to many people’s daily lives, but some people say that it falls short. For Kim Fellner who is dying from a rare form of cancer, she sees no reason to believe in God or in any religion. Unfazed by her mortality, she is determined to see dying as just another part of life. Faith and religion are irrelevant to her. Neither of her nonreligious parents expressed any fear about dying before they passed and they are her role models, she says.
By contrast, Marriner Rigby says his faith and religious beliefs give meaning and purpose to his everyday life. “My faith in God and religious beliefs are central to my personal identity,” he told me before he passed away. “It is who I am and central to my sense of purpose. Because I believe I matter to God, I matter to others as well.”
A new survey about religion and its relevance in everyday life was published in late 2025 by the Pew Research Center — breaking down who has a religious faith and why they still believe in their childhood faith. The survey shows that U.S. adults who still identify with their childhood religion credit the following as “extremely” or “very important” reasons:
- They believe the religion’s teachings (64% of adults who identify with their childhood religion say this).
- Their religion fulfills their spiritual needs (61%).
- Their religion gives their life meaning (56%).
Conversely, Americans who’ve left their childhood religion most commonly cite the following as “extremely” or “very important” reasons behind their decision:
- They stopped believing in the religion’s teachings (cited by 46% of people who were raised in a religion and have left).
- It wasn’t important in their life (38%).
- They just gradually drifted away (38%).
Robert Jones, president of the Public Religion Research Institute, notes that this religiously unaffiliated group of “leavers” can be subdivided into three primary groups:
- Rejectionists (58%) who believe that religion generally does more harm than good.
- Unconcerned persons (22%) who don’t see personal meaning in religion.
- Disengaged believers (18%) who don’t feel like they belong in their local congregation.
While only occasionally citing religion’s role, most longevity books and research note the importance of finding purpose and “mattering” to others in living well and living longer. Research by Eric S. Kim, with Harvard’s Human Flourishing Initiative, found that older adults with a strong sense of purpose had a 46% lower mortality risk combined with lower cardiovascular issues and fewer sleep problems than their counterparts.
While there are other means of gaining a sense of purpose besides religion, faith-based organizations typically instill lasting values and intrinsic meaning among their adherents. Joining with like-minded others in a communal effort to find joy, give service and transcend the daily grind can bring fulfillment and connection.
According to research reported by Merck’s Consumer manual, religious beliefs provide significant mental health benefits such as:
- A positive and hopeful attitude about life and illnesses.
- A sense of meaning and purpose in life which affects health behaviors.
- A greater ability to cope with stress and disappointment.
Scholars and believers alike attest to religion’s power to give meaning to people’s lives. Recent studies have found that believers not only experience more meaning in life, but also have more positive views about day-to-day activities and encounters. In fact, they also tend to have more fun.
Among other things, faith provides a reassurance that we matter, that in all of the vastness of the universe and the vagaries of life on this third rock from the sun, our lives really do have purpose and meaning.
Rabbi Harold Kushner, writing in “When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough,” notes that “religious faith satisfies an even deeper human need — perhaps the most fundamental need of all. That is the need to know that somehow we matter, that our lives mean something, count as something more than just a momentary blip in the Universe.”
People in America who are unaffiliated with any faith struggle to find purpose and meaning in their lives, according to the Associated Press. Those unaffiliated with any faith and with higher incomes find meaning in travel or hobbies, but still lack a sense of purpose that compares with what believers possess.
While skeptics may still push back, it’s clear religious belief not only supplies purpose in many people’s lives, but also provides a distinctive narrative that transforms random events into meaningful moments. This offers a powerful personal “why” that can fuel resilience, inspire connection and deliver a road map for life’s journey.