Jack Mormons and Liminal Latter-day Saints: The People in the Middle, 1971 to 2023
For the last half-century, data about Latter-day Saints has tended to focus on two primary groups. There are the stalwart believers with their large families, rock-solid faith, and conservative political views; these steadfast and committed members have long fascinated social scientists and historians alike. And then there are the people who leave the fold, the growing cadre of former members who no longer consider themselves LDS. They have joined a widespread movement of religious disaffiliation in the twenty-first century, and as such are a popular research subject.
What about the people in the middle? What can the 2022–23 Next Mormons Survey data tell us about church members who still identify as Latter-day Saints, but are either not fully active, not fully believing, or both? And how does what we know about this group today compare to survey data from a study the LDS Church commissioned in 1971? Who is most likely to be religiously active and believing, and who is most likely to not?