I thought, since I mentioned an earlier study that reflected percentages on people who leave churches for other churches, that perhaps a link to a more recent study might be in order, this one focusing more on people switching denominations, or leaving religion entirely. This information is from the Pew Research Forum and is from 2009. Here’s an excerpt and a link to the research:

“The reasons people give for changing their religion – or leaving religion altogether – differ widely depending on the origin and destination of the convert. The group that has grown the most in recent years due to religious change is the unaffiliated population. Two-thirds of former Catholics who have become unaffiliated and half of former Protestants who have become unaffiliated say they left their childhood faith because they stopped believing in its teachings, and roughly four-in-ten say they became unaffiliated because they do not believe in God or the teachings of most religions.1 Additionally, many people who left a religion to become unaffiliated say they did so in part because they think of religious people as hypocritical or judgmental, because religious organizations focus too much on rules or because religious leaders are too focused on power and money. Far fewer say they became unaffiliated because they believe that modern science proves that religion is just superstition.” — http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=409

Thanks,

Thom