ADVERTISEMENTs

Two-thirds of Indian Americans are Hindus, says Pew survey

The survey also revealed that approximately one in ten Asian Americans now follow Hinduism as their religion.

Representative Image / Image - Unsplash

According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, approximately half of Asian American adults who self-identify as Indian say  they currently practice Hinduism as their religion, accounting for 48 per cent of respondents. This figure is relatively consistent with the percentage reported in 2012, which was 51 per cent.

The survey also revealed that approximately one in ten Asian Americans now identify Hinduism as their religion, with 11 per cent of respondents doing so, a figure that has remained fairly consistent with the 10 per cent reported in 2012.

Additionally, 6 per cent of all Asian Americans indicate a sense of closeness to Hinduism beyond religious beliefs, often due to reasons such as ancestral or cultural connections. In total, two-thirds of Indian Americans either identify as Hindu or express a strong affinity for Hinduism.

Of the Asian American Hindus surveyed, one-third find religion very important in their lives, and an additional 38 per cent consider it somewhat important. The survey revealed that about 31 per cent attend religious services monthly or more frequently.

Hindus have the highest proportion among all the analyzed Asian American religious groups who use altars, shrines, or religious symbols for home worship, with 79 per cent adopting these practices. Among Hindus who highly prioritize religion in their lives, this figure rises to 89 per cent.

Approximately 92 per cent of Asian American Hindu adults were born outside of the United States, making them the highest proportion of foreign-born individuals among Asian American religious groups.

In contrast, among religiously unaffiliated Asian Americans who feel a cultural closeness to Hinduism, a significantly higher percentage are born in the United States (35 per cent) compared to those who religiously identify as Hindu (8 per cent).

When it comes to socioeconomic status, Asian American Hindus exhibit remarkable achievements. A substantial 61 per cent of them hold postgraduate degrees, in contrast to 22 per cent among all Asian American adults. Additionally, 44 per cent of Asian American Hindus report a family income exceeding $150,000, which surpasses the 32 per cent figure for Asian Americans as a whole.

Comments

ADVERTISEMENT

 

 

 

ADVERTISEMENT

 

 

E Paper