Report: Minnesota less religious than the national average

Image: Glen, Flickr

According to a new study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Minnesota is below the national average in terms of our religious practices and beliefs. Fifty-percent of us cite religion as “very important” in our lives, putting our national ranking at 32 (the national average is 56 percent).

The most religious state: Mississippi. Residents there ranked first in “Belief in God,” “Frequency of Prayer” and “Worship Attendance.”

In those other categories, Minnesota is fair to middlin’: We’re below the national average in terms of the percentage of residents who say they pray at least once a day (52 percent, compared to the national average of 58 percent, giving us a rank of 35) or attend worship service at least once a week (38 percent versus 39 percent nationally, for a 25th-place finish).

Seventy percent of Minnesotans say they “believe in God with absolute certainty,” just one percentage point below the national average. Mississippi topped that category, too, with 91 percent of survey participants declaring said certainty.

Via Comedy Central.