Four (or Five) Types of Mormons? - Are LDS Church Members Secularizing? | Ep. 2074

Are Latter-day Saints Secularizing? New Data on Four Types of Mormons Reveals a Fragmented Faith

The Latter-day Saint movement is experiencing a quiet but measurable shift in how its members understand and practice their faith. Recent data analysis suggests that rather than representing a monolithic bloc, today's Mormons cluster into distinct demographic and ideological categories, and the largest of these may not be the orthodox believers the institutional church has historically centered. The question is no longer simply "Are people leaving the LDS Church?" but rather "What kinds of Mormonism are people choosing, or abandoning, and why?" Understanding these four (or five) types of Mormons is essential for anyone seeking to comprehend the present state of a religion that once defined itself through unified doctrine and practice.

According to analysis presented on the Mormon Stories podcast, sociological research using clustering methodology on data from the Pew Research Center has identified natural groupings among Latter-day Saints that defy traditional categories. These categories matter not just to scholars, but to members trying to understand their own place within a fractured religious ecosystem. What the data reveals is neither reassuring to institutional leadership nor dismissive of faith, it is simply structural.

Mapping the Four Types: Devout Traditionalists, Adaptive Believers, Inbetweeners, and Critical Thinkers

The typology begins with what researchers call "Devout Traditionalists", the closest modern equivalent to what members might recognize as active, believing Latter-day Saints. These individuals maintain high levels of religious practice, report strong testimonies, engage in missionary work, and align politically with institutional leadership. By most measures, they represent the faithful core. Yet even this group has declined significantly in recent years, now comprising approximately 25% of surveyed church members.

The second group, "Adaptive Believers," represents a remarkable demographic shift. Comprising roughly 42% of respondents, these members maintain belief and regular practice but score lower on measures of life satisfaction and orthodoxy. Critically, they lean left politically and hesitate to evangelize their faith as openly as traditionalists. This group exhibits what might be called "selective authenticity", they remain La