Home

Brides, Grooms Often Have Different Faiths

June 4, 2009

Early summer is a traditional season for wedding ceremonies in the U.S. Data from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life in 2007, shows that many marriages are between people of different religious faiths. According to the survey, Buddhists and the religiously unaffiliated are the most likely to have a spouse or partner with a different religious background, while Mormons and Hindus are the least likely to marry or live with a partner outside their own faith.

Marriage chart

Source: Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted in 2007 and released in 2008. Based on respondents who say they are married and respondents who say they are living with a partner. Results for other religious groups are not reported due to small sample sizes. Due to rounding, figures may not add to 100.

1. For mainline Protestants,
evangelical Protestants and historically black Protestants, this category includes marriages and partnerships between people from different Protestant denominational families (e.g., a Methodist married to a Lutheran).

More Resources


Forum logo Pew Forum

April 27, 2009
Interactive: Faith in Flux

Feb. 10, 2009
Graphic: Cupid's Arrow Often Hits People of Different Faiths

Feb. 23, 2008
U.S. Religious Landscape Survey: Marital Status (PDF)

Feb. 23, 2008
U.S. Religious Landscape Survey: Family Composition (PDF)

News

Jan.  9, 2009
Pa. courts uphold weddings by clergy ordained online
Religion News Service

Jan. 3, 2009
For young Muslims, finding devout spouse in U.S. is difficult
McClatchy Newspapers

Nov. 19, 2007
Evangelicals Shift Toward Acceptance on Divorce
Religion News Service

Pew Research Center

Oct. 19, 2008
Networked Families

Pew Internet & American Life Project

Sept. 25, 2008
Women Call the Shots at Home
Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project

July 1, 2007
As Marriage and Parenthood Drift Apart, Public Is Concerned about Social Impact
Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project

Digg It! del.icio.us reddit google newsvine 

Religious Landscape Survey

Email Newsletter

Stay informed with weekly updates from the Pew Forum.

See Newsletter Archive

Follow the Pew Forum

RSS

Top Religion Headlines

February 6, 2010
The ideal of a united Malaysia is under strain
The Australian
February 5, 2010
Keeping faith, courting conservatives
The Wall Street Journal
February 5, 2010
Iraq delays start of parliamentary election campaigns
The Wall Street Journal
February 5, 2010
Obama keeps faith as prayer breakfast criticised
The Irish Times
February 4, 2010
Obama challenges evangelicals on Uganda, citizenship
Religion News Service
Latest from PewResearch.org
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life is one of seven projects that make up the Pew Research Center.