The youngest group of adults is severely lagging in religious attendance. But the reason appears not to be the loss of faith by people born from 1966 to 1974, or even changes in generational culture. The low attendance appears to be the result of what social scientists are now calling prolonged young adulthood.

According to a new article in "Visions," a newsletter published for religious leaders by VISIONS DECISIONS, Inc., of Atlanta, religious attendance of these newest adults is well below what it was for previous generations. In the 2002 General Social Survey, 32 percent of these GenXers said they attended religious services at least twice a month. When Baby Boomers born from 1946 to 1955 were the same age-27 to 36 years old-about 42 percent went to services that often.

Recent academic research of young adults has found that marriage and child-bearing are being postponed more and more because of the demands of higher education, and the inability of less educated young adults to achieve the financial security necessary for family life.

Religious attendance is tied to marriage and child-bearing. Numerous studies have found that many people — after a youthful respite — return to a regular pattern of religious attendance after they marry and have children. Delays in marriage and child-bearing are pushing back the date at which people return to religious attendance, and lengthening the time that the young spend away from regular attendance.

Other findings in an analysis of General Social Survey data indicate:

One in six persons born from 1966 to 1976 claims no religious affiliation, a figure which is higher than for previous generations. Though still apparently religious, young adults who have defected from religious bodies disproportionately grew up as Protestants. These young defectors are as likely to grow up as Protestant conservatives as Protestant liberals. In the past, liberals were disproportionately defectors.

Less than half of people born from 1966 to 1975 are Protestant. The growth of Catholicism and other religions because of immigration, and the growing defection of Protestants to non-affiliation, has resulted in Protestants losing majority status.