In 2017, Pew Research Center published a study examining the relationship between education and religiosity across every major American religious group. The general pattern: more education correlates with weaker religious commitment.
LDS members showed the most dramatic exception. 92% of college-educated LDS members scored as "highly religious" on Pew's composite index — compared to 78% of LDS members who stopped at high school. That is a 14-point increase in religiosity with education, while most groups show a decrease.
Evangelicals also show a mild upward trend (82% → 87%), and Black Protestants show a similar direction. But the LDS gap is the largest documented — a 14-point swing in the opposite direction of the expected pattern.
36% of LDS adults hold a college degree, placing them above the national average (35%) and above Evangelicals overall (29%).
LDS men pursue post-secondary education at 53.5% compared to 36.5% nationally. LDS women: 44.3% vs. 27.7% nationally.
The finding challenges the assumption that LDS faith depends on members not being exposed to critical thinking or higher education. The data suggests the opposite: the most educated LDS members are the most committed.
Discussion