Faith and Family Focus
New Pew Research Center Study Examines Beliefs and Demographics of Latter-day Saints
Anonymous
Key Points
1
Seventy-three percent of Latter-day Saint adults say they pray daily, a rate similar to evangelical Protestants and members of the historically Black Protestant tradition, and higher than the rates reported by Catholics and Buddhists.
2
Most adult Latter-day Saints hold a formal congregational role, known as a “calling,” and are assigned individuals or families to serve and support; many also serve as missionaries as young adults or later in life.
3
Latter-day Saint teachings hold that family relationships can continue beyond death: temple marriages may be eternal, and children can be sealed to their parents; the church has also long encouraged weekly family nights.
4
All nine Latter-day Saints serving in the U.S. Congress are Republicans, and all represent states in the Mountain region, where the church has a particularly strong presence.
5
The share of current Latter-day Saints who are converts has remained fairly steady since 2007, with most converts coming from other Christian traditions.
Latter-day Saints remain a small but deeply religious community, making up just 1% to 2% of U.S. adults, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of its 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study. The faith shows remarkable internal cohesion: 73% of members pray daily, most hold formal congregational roles, and the vast majority report strong family satisfaction. The study surveyed 565 current and 316 former Latter-day Saints as part of a nationally representative sample of 36,908 U.S. adults.
The church emphasizes traditional family structures and gender roles, with teachings that family bonds extend beyond death through temple marriages and child sealing ceremonies. Politically, about three-quarters identify as Republican, though the group diverges from many GOP peers on diversity issues. Roughly one-quarter of current members are converts—a share that has held steady since 2007.
Daily Prayer and Religious Commitment
Latter-day Saints report exceptionally high rates of daily religious practice. Pew Research Center found that 73% pray daily—a rate matching evangelical Protestants and historically Black Protestants, and exceeding Catholics and Buddhists. Most adult members hold a formal "calling," a congregational assignment to serve and support specific individuals or families. Many also serve as missionaries as young adults or continue missionary work later in life.
Eternal Family Bonds Shape Core Theology
A defining feature of Latter-day Saint belief centers on family continuity beyond death. The church teaches that temple marriages can be eternal and that children may be sealed to their parents for the afterlife. To reinforce family bonds in daily life, the church has long promoted weekly family nights. These practices reflect how Pew Research Center found the group places exceptional emphasis on marriage, children, and family life as central to their faith and identity.
Political Alignment and Congressional Representation
Latter-day Saints lean heavily Republican: roughly three-quarters identify as Republican or Republican-leaning independents. This political preference is visible in Congress, where Pew Research Center data shows all nine Latter-day Saints serving in the U.S. House and Senate are Republicans, all representing Mountain region states where the church holds particularly strong presence. However, Latter-day Saints diverge from many Republican peers on some diversity-related policy questions.
Converts and Lifelong Members Show Different Patterns
About one-quarter of current Latter-day Saints are converts rather than people raised in the faith. Pew Research Center found the share of converts has remained fairly steady since 2007, with most converts coming from other Christian traditions. Lifelong members tend to report higher levels of religious practice than converts and former members, suggesting some variation in commitment within the broader community. The research also revealed that nearly half of people raised in the faith eventually leave the church.
Sentiment
Mostly PositiveNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
13
Articles
1
Reach
14
A
AnonymousAuthor
