HINDUS are the most highly educated religious group in the United States, followed by Jews, according to a new analysis by the Pew Research Centre on educational attainment across major faith communities in the country.
The Washington-based Pew Research Centre said the findings are part of its 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (RLS), which it described as one of the most comprehensive surveys of religion and public life in the United States.
Seven in ten Hindus (70 per cent) and 65 per cent of Jews have a bachelor’s degree or higher. This compares with 35 per cent of US adults overall, according to the RLS study released on February 19.
Other religious groups with above-average levels of higher education include Muslims, Buddhists and Orthodox Christians. Each of these groups has more than four in 10 adults holding at least a bachelor’s degree.
Mainline Protestant Christians were also found to be above the national average.
In contrast, the share of college graduates among Evangelical Protestants, Catholics and members of historically Black Protestant churches was lower than the national average, the study said.
According to Pew, about four in 10 people in the overall US adult population have a bachelor’s degree or higher. The study said this shows gaps in educational attainment between religious groups.
The report noted that immigration and demographic patterns help explain these differences. It said many Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists came to the US through higher-education or skilled-worker pathways.
A total of 36,908 respondents took part in the Religious Landscape Study of US adults, which was conducted between July 17, 2023, and March 4, 2024.
(With inputs from agencies)
