America typically views itself as a country of strong values, many of which stem from Christian religions. Yet this country has seen a steady decline in citizens who profess to adhere to the Christian faith.

According to a new study conducted by the Pew Research Center, the number of Christians in America has dropped by seven percent since 2007. According to the report:

“these changes are taking place across the religious landscape, affecting all regions of the country and many demographic groups. While the drop in Christian affiliation is particularly pronounced among young adults, it is occurring among Americans of all ages. The same trends are seen among whites, blacks and Latinos; among both college graduates and adults with only a high school education; and among women as well as men.”

Seven out of ten Americans still consider themselves to be Christian. This means the United States has one of the largest Christian populations in the world. Yet in recent years, the portion of people who believe in other faiths has steadily grown. People of non-Christian faith, especially Hindi and Muslim religions, has grown from 4.7 percent in 2007 to 5.9 percent in 2014.

At the same time, the percentage of those who consider themselves atheist, agnostic, or ‘nothing in particular’ has grown from 16.1 percent to 22.8 percent over the same period.

“It’s not necessarily that they’re believing less, but that it’s less important for them in their culture to say, yes I’m a Christian,” said Bryan Bibb, Associate Professor of Religion at Furman University. “For churches, they’re going to have to ask themselves, how do we now act as the church in a culture in which is less important culturally to be Christian.”

Indeed, churches have grappled for decades on how to retain followers in an increasingly secular world. The Catholic and Protestant faiths have had a particular struggle keeping the attention of their flocks. It does not look like that battle will be over anytime soon.