Editing Utah (section)

===Religion===
{{Further|Demographics of Utah#Religion}}
{{see also|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah}}
{{bar box
|title = Religion in Utah {{as of|2014|lc=y}}<ref name="pew2014">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/utah/|title=Religious Landscape Study|date=May 11, 2015|access-date=October 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005201915/http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/utah/|archive-date=October 5, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd |left1=Religion |right1=Percent |float=left
|bars =
{{bar percent|[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah|Mormonism/Latter-day Saints]]|red|55}}
{{bar percent|Unaffiliated|Grey|22}}
{{bar percent|[[Protestant]]|Blue|13}}
{{bar percent|[[Catholic]]|DarkOrchid|5}}
{{bar percent|Other faiths|grey|2}}
{{bar percent|[[Buddhist]]|yellow|1}}
{{bar percent|[[Muslim]]|green|1}}
}}

[[File:Salt Lake LDS Temple.jpg|thumb|The LDS [[Salt Lake Temple]], the primary attraction in the city's [[Temple Square]]]]
[[File:First Presbyterian.jpg|thumb|[[First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City|First Presbyterian Church]] in Salt Lake City]]
[[File:Festival of Colors at the Krishna Temple near Spanish Fork, Utah 2012.jpg|thumb|[[Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple (Spanish Fork)|Sri Sri Radha Krishna (Hindu) Temple]]]]

Mormons are the largest religious group in Utah. However, the percentage of Mormons in the overall population has been decreasing. In 2017, 62.8% of Utahns were members of the LDS Church.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Canham |first=Matt |date=July 16, 2017 |title=Salt Lake County is becoming less Mormon—Utah County is headed in the other direction |url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=5403049&itype=CMSID |access-date=February 12, 2020}}</ref><ref name="SLT-Morm">{{cite news |last=Canham |first=Matt |date=November 18, 2007 |title=Utah less LDS than ever |url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=7496034&itype=NGPSID |work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |access-date=February 12, 2020}}</ref> This declined to 61.2% in 2018<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/12/09/salt-lake-county-is-now/|title=Salt Lake County is now minority Mormon, and the impacts are far reaching|website=The Salt Lake Tribune|language=en-US|access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref> and to 60.7% in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/01/05/utah-sees-latter-day/|title=Utah sees Latter-day Saint slowdown and membership numbers drop in Salt Lake County|website=The Salt Lake Tribune|language=en-US|access-date=April 3, 2020}}</ref> Members of the LDS Church are 34%–41% of the people of Salt Lake City. Many of the other major population centers, such as Provo, Logan, Tooele, and St. George, are each mostly LDS, as are many suburban and rural areas. The LDS Church has the largest number of congregations, numbering 4,815 [[Ward (LDS Church)|wards]].<ref name="LDS.org">{{cite web |url= https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/united-states/state/utah |title= Facts and Statistics USA-Utah |website= Mormon newsroom |publisher= LDS |access-date= May 8, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190630090051/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/united-states/state/utah |archive-date= June 30, 2019 |url-status= live }}</ref> According to results from the 2010 U.S. census, combined with official LDS Church membership statistics, church members represented 62.1% of Utah's total population. The Utah county with the lowest percentage of church members was [[Grand County, Utah|Grand County]], at 26.5%, while the county with the highest percentage was [[Morgan County, Utah|Morgan County]], at 86.1%. In addition, the result for the most populated county, [[Salt Lake County, Utah|Salt Lake County]], was 51.4%.<ref name="Canham 2012-04-17" />

Though [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and politics in the United States|the LDS Church officially maintains a policy of neutrality in regard to political parties]],<ref name="neutrality" /> the church's doctrine has a strong regional influence on politics.<ref name="kindling">{{cite web|url=http://www.nd.edu/~dcampbe4/DRY%20KINDLING.pdf |title=Dry Kindling: A Political Profile of American Mormons |first1=David E |last1=Campbell |first2=J Quin |last2=Monson |website=From Pews to Polling Places: Faith and Politics in the American Religious Mosaic |publisher=Georgetown University Press |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015092621/http://www.nd.edu/~dcampbe4/DRY%20KINDLING.pdf |archive-date=October 15, 2012 }}</ref> Another doctrine effect can be seen in Utah's high [[birth rate]] (25 percent higher than the national average; the highest for a state in the U.S.).<ref name="birth rate">{{Cite news |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700251966/Utahs-birthrate-highest-in-US.html?pg=all |title= Utah's birthrate highest in US |last= Davidson |first= Lee |newspaper= Deseret News |date= August 19, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141104181633/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700251966/Utahs-birthrate-highest-in-US.html?pg=all |archive-date= November 4, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Mormons in Utah tend to have [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] views when it comes to most political issues and the majority of voter-age Utahns are unaffiliated voters (60%) who vote overwhelmingly [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]].<ref name="Voter Affiliations">{{cite news |url= http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695247764/Utah-voters-shun-labels.html?pg=all |newspaper= Deseret Morning News |title= Utah Voters Shun Labels |first= Lee |last= Davidson |date= January 28, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141104181931/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695247764/Utah-voters-shun-labels.html?pg=all |archive-date= November 4, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Mitt Romney]] received 72.8% of the Utahn votes in 2012, while [[John McCain]] polled 62.5% in the [[2008 United States presidential election]] and 70.9% for [[George W. Bush]] in 2004. In 2010 the [[Association of Religion Data Archives]] (ARDA) reported that the three largest denominational groups in Utah are the LDS Church with 1,910,504 adherents; the [[Catholic Church]] with 160,125 adherents, and the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] with 12,593 adherents.<ref name="www.thearda.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/49/rcms2010_49_state_adh_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives &#124; State Membership Report |publisher=www.thearda.com |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209201252/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/49/rcms2010_49_state_adh_2010.asp |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

According to a [[The Gallup Organization#Gallup Poll|Gallup poll]], Utah had the third-highest number of people reporting as "Very Religious" in 2015, at 55% (trailing only [[Mississippi]] and [[Alabama]]). However, it was near the national average of people reporting as "Nonreligious" (31%), and featured the smallest percentage of people reporting as "Moderately Religious" (15%) of any state, being eight points lower than second-lowest state [[Vermont]].<ref>{{Cite news | url = http://www.gallup.com/poll/125066/State-States.aspx?g_source=WWWV7HP&g_medium=topic&g_campaign=tiles | title = State of the States | work= Gallup | access-date = July 6, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160817013235/http://www.gallup.com/poll/125066/State-States.aspx?g_source=WWWV7HP&g_medium=topic&g_campaign=tiles | archive-date = August 17, 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref> In addition, it had the highest average weekly church attendance of any state, at 51%.<ref>{{Cite news| url = http://www.gallup.com/poll/181601/frequent-church-attendance-highest-utah-lowest-vermont.aspx?g_source=&g_medium=&g_campaign=tiles | title = Frequent Church Attendance Highest in Utah, Lowest in Vermont | work= Gallup | date = February 17, 2015 | access-date = July 6, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160817000419/http://www.gallup.com/poll/181601/frequent-church-attendance-highest-utah-lowest-vermont.aspx?g_source=&g_medium=&g_campaign=tiles | archive-date = August 17, 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref>

A 2023 paper challenged this perception (claiming only 42% of Utahns are Mormons) however most statistics still show a majority of Utah residents belong to the LDS church; estimates from the LDS church suggests 60.68% of Utah's population belongs to the church whilst some sources put the number as high as 68%.<ref name="Cragun 2023">{{cite journal |last1=Cragun |first1=Ryan T. |author-link1= |last2=Gull |first2=Bethany |author-link2= |last3=Phillips |first3=Rick |author-link3= |display-authors= |author-mask= |name-list-style= |year=2023 |orig-date= |display-editors= |title=Mormons Are No Longer a Majority in Utah: Causes, Consequences, and Implications for the Sociology of Religion |format= |department= |journal=Journal of Religion and Demography |type= |series= |language= |edition= |volume=10 |issue=1–2 |pages=162–184 |doi=10.1163/2589742x-bja10019 |doi-access= |s2cid=267601458 |issn=2589-7411 |url=https://www.ryantcragun.com/mormons-are-no-longer-a-majority-in-utah-causes-consequences-and-implications-for-the-sociology-of-religion/ }}</ref> The paper replied that membership count done by the LDS Church is too high for several reasons.<ref name="Cragun 2023" />