With 2025 now behind us, it was a year filled with significant developments in religion, faith and spirituality — and 2026 will likely be just as eventful.

While 2025 revealed a possible slowing in the long-term decline of Christianity in the United States, new data this year could either confirm that trend or upend it entirely.  

At the same time, surveys continue to show that even as formal religious affiliation declines, spiritual belief remains widespread. How that tension shapes American society, politics and culture remains an open question.

Globally, the biggest driver of religious change remains demographic. Muslims continue to be the fastest-growing major faith tradition, largely due to higher birthrates.

Here are five key religion-related issues and trends to watch in 2026:  

Rise in antisemitism

Antisemitism continues to manifest across the political spectrum, with incidents rising sharply since Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel and throughout Israel’s two-year war in Gaza. Left-wing campus protests against Israel during that period were viewed by many as crossing into antisemitism, while antisemitic incidents more broadly increased in the U.S. and worldwide.

On the political right, Tucker Carlson’s interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes intensified debates over antisemitism within conservative circles. The fallout reverberated across the American conservative movement and evangelical Christians — groups that have traditionally been strongly pro-Israel. 

Midterm elections and ‘culture war’ issues

The 2026 U.S. midterm elections are expected to center on bread-and-butter concerns such as the economy and the cost of living. The 250th anniversary of America’s founding, which falls on July 4, will only add to this tension. In fact culture-war issues (like legalization of doctor-assisted suicide) are likely to play a prominent role.

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