Many countries see high rates of ‘religious switching,’ new poll finds

People who were raised as Christian and Buddhist may be more likely to abandon their religion in later life, a new Pew Research poll of 36 countries suggested.

These religions were found to have especially high rates of “religious switching,” with many becoming unaffiliated with any religion, perhaps because they became atheists or agnostics.

The trend was far from uniform: Some 50% of South Korean adults were found to have left their childhood religion. Spain, Canada, Sweden, and the UK also had high rates of apostasy; Bangladesh and Israel had barely any.

Young people were found to be more likely to have changed their minds, while people raised in the Islamic, Hindu, or Jewish faiths tended to stick with their religion through life.