While 84% of the world’s population still affiliates with a faith of some sort, there are clear indicators that people in the United States and elsewhere are abandoning religion. This shift toward secularization may have significant social and psychological consequences, because religion is often linked to better mental health, stronger social ties, and increased rates of marriage and childbearing. This report examines who and how many are leaving religion, which faiths are most affected by disaffiliation, individual and social consequences of a decline in religiosity, and factors increasing the likelihood of returning to faith.

Wheatley Institute and the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies welcomed Jeff Rosen to BYU campus on Nov 13, 2025 as he spoke on his recent book, "The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America," a New York Times bestseller and an enriching examination of what “the pursuit of happiness” meant to our nation’s Founders and how that famous phrase defined their lives and became the foundation of our democracy.

Wheatley Institute Director Paul Edwards gave a devotional at Ensign College about becoming Disciple-Citizens. He emphasized the importance of active civic participation for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the ways that responsible citizens can support American democracy.

Wheatley Religion Fellow Samuel Wilkinson co-authored an article for the Deseret News on the history of the relationship between psychiatry and religion. Despite longstanding negative assumptions from early psychiatry, many modern studies have found strong links between religious attendance and lowered risks of depression and anxiety.

Wheatley Family Fellow Jenet Erickson was quoted in a New York Times article covering recent discussion on federal family legislation. Erickson, who previously co-authored an essay in 2021 with Vice President JD Vance emphasizing the importance of stay-at-home parents, reiterated the natural capacities of mothers to bond with their children.

Wheatley Institute Constitutional Government Director, James Phillips, wrote a blog post for The Federalist Society analyzing Mahmoud v. Taylor oral arguments heard last week in the Supreme Court. The case involves claims of religious liberty and parental rights brought by parents in Montgomery County, Maryland schools over elementary and pre-K school curriculum regarding sexuality and gender issues.