The Demography of Exiting, Retention, and Conversion among Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Utah

Abstract Utah has a unique religious subculture that emerges from the historical and demographic prominence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS , or Mormon church). Scholars argue that in recent decades this subculture is eroding as disaffiliation from Mormonism rises. This paper examines the demography, social attitudes and religiosity of current and former Mormons to understand the dynamics of Utah’s shifting religious landscape. We find that current Mormons are better educated and more affluent than former Mormons. They are also more religious and politically conservative. By contrast, disaffiliating from Mormonism is concentrated among young people, and associated with progressive politics, especially on matters of sex and gender. Unlike studies conducted in previous decades, we find that women now leave the LDS Church at least as frequently as men. Mormons who exit are more likely to abandon religion altogether than switch to another faith. We discuss the implication of these findings for the sociology of religion.