Faith in Dallas-Fort Worth
Faith is an important part of life in Dallas-Fort Worth. The area is home to over 6,500 places of worship — the highest concentration among the 10 largest regions in the U.S., according to The New York Times. Three of the top 20 biggest churches in the country are located here.
Pew Research’s Religious Landscape Study, which released new results this year, offers deeper insight into D-FW’s religious life and the ways it has changed over the past 10 years.
Here are a few key findings from Pew’s most recent survey, conducted in 2023 and 2024, plus earlier data from the research organization’s prior religious landscape survey, which was conducted in 2014.
Changes in Religious Affiliation
Share of Hindu community in D-FW has more than tripled
Between 2014 and 2023-2024, the percentage of Hindus in D-FW more than tripled, from less than 1% of the adult population to 3%, according to Pew’s data.
Hindus were the only non-Christian group that saw that kind of growth in the proportion they are represented in D-FW. Jewish-identified and Muslim-identified adults each remained at 1% of the population in both surveys. The share of Buddhists in D-FW increased from less than 1% to a flat 1%.
The share of those belonging to religions besides Christianity in D-FW grew from 4% in 2014 to 8% in 2023-2024.
Protestants moved away from denominations; the Catholic share saw little change
One of the biggest stories in this round of Pew data is a move away from the two largest Protestant denominations: the Southern Baptist Convention, which once dominated D-FW religious life, and the United Methodist Church.
Affiliation with the SBC dropped from 10% in 2014, to 6% in 2023-2024. Affiliation with the United Methodist Church, which went through a split over LGBTQ pastors, dropped from 5% to 3% from 2019 to 2023. Catholics saw a 1 percentage point drop in population share, from 15% to 14%.
Beliefs and Practices
Most people in D-FW say they pray regularly and believe in God
According to Pew’s 2023-2024 survey, 85% of adults in D-FW said they believe in God or a “universal spirit.” In the survey, 62% of believers said they were “absolutely certain”; 23% said they were not absolutely certain and 14% said they didn’t believe in God or a universal spirit.
Prayer was also common among people in D-FW. In the 2023-2024 survey, 48% said they pray at least daily, 27% said they pray weekly or monthly and 25% said they pray seldom or never.
A majority of people in D-FW say they believe in both heaven and hell
Among adults in D-FW surveyed in 2023-2024, 69% said they believe in heaven and 62% said they believe in hell.
In 2023-2024, 28% of people said they didn’t believe in heaven, compared to 17% who said they didn’t believe in heaven in 2014. In 2023-2024, 35% said they didn’t believe in hell, compared to 30% in 2014.
Social Issues
In shift from 2014, a majority in D-FW now supports legal abortion and same-sex marriage
In 2014, 48% of D-FW adults said they favored or strongly favored same-sex marriage, and 49% said abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Those percentages grew to a majority of adults in D-FW by 2023-2024. In the most recent survey, 64% said they favored or strongly favored same-sex marriage, and 61% said they believed abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The “no answer” category for both questions declined in the past 10 years.
Conclusion
The Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study provides valuable insights into the religious life of Dallas-Fort Worth. The study shows that the area is becoming more diverse, with a growing Hindu population and a decline in affiliation with traditional Protestant denominations. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of faith in the daily lives of D-FW residents, with a majority of adults praying regularly and believing in God. The study also reveals shifts in attitudes towards social issues, with a majority of adults now supporting same-sex marriage and legal abortion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the most common religion in Dallas-Fort Worth?
A: Christianity is the most common religion in Dallas-Fort Worth, with a majority of adults identifying as Christian.
Q: How has the Hindu population in D-FW changed over the past 10 years?
A: The Hindu population in D-FW has more than tripled, from less than 1% of the adult population in 2014 to 3% in 2023-2024.
Q: What percentage of adults in D-FW pray daily?
A: According to the Pew Research Center’s 2023-2024 survey, 48% of adults in D-FW pray at least daily.
Q: How have attitudes towards same-sex marriage changed in D-FW over the past 10 years?
A: In 2014, 48% of D-FW adults favored or strongly favored same-sex marriage, while in 2023-2024, 64% of adults favored or strongly favored same-sex marriage.
