Religion's Sudden Decline

Secularization is accelerating. From 1981 to 2007, the publics of most countries moved toward placing more importance on God; but from 2007 to 2020, the overwhelming majority moved toward placing less importance on God. The United States has long been cited as the key evidence that modernization need not bring secularization, but in the latest survey it showed the largest shift of any country away from religion and now ranks as the world's 12th least religious country.? One generally-overlooked reason is that, for centuries, a set of norms evolved that encourage women to produce as many children as possible and discourages divorce, abortion, homosexuality, contraception, and any other sexual behavior not linked with reproduction. These norms were needed for societies to survive, facing high infant mortality and low life expectancy, but they require people to suppress strong natural urges that no longer are needed for survival, and are rapidly eroding, undermining religiosity.