The US has its first Pope, and a renewed openness to religion

- YouTube

Ian Bremmer The US has experienced a steady, long-term decline religiousness, with Gallup showing less than half of Americans belong to a house of worship today. But spirituality in the US remains surprisingly resilient.

Bremmer unpacks America's longstanding slide into secularism contrasted with a recent renewed interest in religion. Drawing from two key surveys, Bremmer contrasts Gallup's data on religion’s erosion since the 1960s with a massive Pew study that suggests a recent leveling-off in Christian affiliation and consistent rates of prayer and service attendance over the past few years.

“Americans today are as spiritual as they’ve ever been,” Bremmer notes, even if fewer of them are going to church. With political polarization and social isolation on the rise, he explores whether religion might be on the brink of a cultural comeback—not just as dogma, but as a renewed search for meaning and connection.

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).

New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).GZERO World with Ian Bremmer airs on US public television weekly - check local listings.

More from GZERO Media

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers the State of the European Union address to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, September 10, 2025.
REUTERS/Yves Herman

While the European Union has never been more critical, it is also facing a trifecta of divisive challenges.

In this episode of “Local to global: The power of small business,” host JJ Ramberg sits down with Chapin Flynn, Senior Vice President of Transit and Urban Mobility at Mastercard, and Mark Langmead, Director of Revenue & Compass Operations at TransLink in Vancouver, to explore how cities are making transit easier, faster, and more seamless for riders–an approach known as frictionless urban mobility.

United States President Donald J Trump awaits the arrival Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on November 18, 2025. Featuring: Donald J Trump Where: Washington, District of Columbia, United States When: 18 Nov 2025
Credit: Anna Rose Layden/POOL via CNP
A photo taken on September 14, 2024, shows seafood at Jimiya fishing port in Qingdao, China, on September 14, 2024. On September 20, 2024, China and Japan reach a consensus on the issue of the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and China states that it will gradually resume the import of Japanese aquatic products that meet the regulations.
(Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto)