American Jews have been debating the impact of intermarriage for decades. Does intermarriage atomic number 82 to absorption and weaken the Jewish community? Or is it a manner for a religion that traditionally does not seek converts to bring new people into the fold and, thereby, strengthen likewise every bit diversify the Jewish community? The new Pew Inquiry Center survey of U.S. Jews did not start this debate and certainly will not end it. However, the survey's findings on intermarriage, child rearing and Jewish identity provide some support for both sides.

For example, the survey shows that the offspring of intermarriages – Jewish adults who have only 1 Jewish parent – are much more likely than the offspring of two Jewish parents to describe themselves, religiously, as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular. In that sense, intermarriage may exist seen as weakening the religious identity of Jews in America.

Still the survey also suggests that a rise percentage of the children of intermarriages are Jewish in adulthood. Among Americans historic period 65 and older who say they had one Jewish parent, 25% are Jewish today. By contrast, among adults under 30 with one Jewish parent, 59% are Jewish today. In this sense, intermarriage may exist transmitting Jewish identity to a growing number of Americans.

Surveys are snapshots in fourth dimension. They typically show associations, or linkages, rather than clear causal connections, and they don't predict the time to come. Nosotros do not know, for example, whether the big cohort of young adult children of intermarriage who are Jewish today will remain Jewish as they historic period, ally (and in some cases, intermarry), start families and move through the life cycle. With those cautions in mind, here'due south a walk through some of our data on intermarriage, including some new analysis that goes beyond the chapter on intermarriage in our original report. (We would like to thank several academic researchers, including Theodore Sasson of Brandeis Academy, Steven M. Cohen of Hebrew Union College and NYU Wagner, and Bruce Phillips of Hebrew Union Higher and the University of Southern California, for suggesting fruitful avenues of additional analysis.)

Beginning, intermarriage is practically nonexistent amongst Orthodox Jews; 98% of the married Orthodox Jews in the survey accept a Jewish spouse. But among all other married Jews, only half say they have a Jewish spouse.

In addition, intermarriage rates appear to have risen substantially in recent decades, though they take been relatively stable since the mid-1990s. Looking just at non-Orthodox Jews who have gotten married since 2000, 28% have a Jewish spouse and fully 72% are intermarried.

Likewise, intermarriage is more common among Jewish respondents who are themselves the children of intermarriage. Among married Jews who report that only one of their parents was Jewish, but 17% are married to a Jewish spouse. By contrast, amid married Jews who say both of their parents were Jewish, 63% take a Jewish spouse.

FT_jewish-identity-by-generationAmongst Jews, the developed offspring of intermarriages are as well much more probable than people with two Jewish parents to describe themselves religiously equally atheist, agnostic or only "nothing in particular." This is the example amidst all recent generations of U.South. Jews.

For case, amid Jewish Babe Boomers who had two Jewish parents, 88% say their religion is Jewish; hence, nosotros categorize them as "Jews by organized religion." Merely among Baby Boomers who had i Jewish parent, 53% describe themselves every bit atheist, agnostic or having no particular faith, even though they also say they consider themselves Jewish or partially Jewish bated from religion; they are categorized every bit "Jews of no faith" in the table. Far fewer Jewish Baby Boomers who had ii Jewish parents (12%) are Jews of no religion today.

A like design is seen amongst Jewish Millennials: 51% of Millennials who have ane Jewish parent are Jews of no religion, compared with just 15% of Millennials who had two Jewish parents.

Summing this up, it appears that the share of Jews of no religion is similar – and relatively depression – among recent generations of Jews with two Jewish parents. It is much higher (and as well fairly like across generations) amongst cocky-identified Jews with only ane Jewish parent.

FT_13.11.12_JewishIntermarriage_one_parent1But it is also important to comport in mind that the percentage of Jewish adults who are the offspring of intermarriages appears to exist ascension. Merely 6% of Jews from the Silent Generation say they had one Jewish parent, compared with 18% of Jewish Infant Boomers, 24% of Generation Ten and nearly half (48%) of Jewish Millennials. The result is that there are far more than Jews of no religion among younger generations of Jews than among previous generations, every bit shown in the survey report.

When nosotros look at all adults who accept just one Jewish parent – including both those who identify as Jewish and those who exercise non – nosotros meet that the Jewish retention rate of people raised in intermarried families appears to be rise. That is, among all adults (both Jewish and non-Jewish) who say they had one Jewish parent and one non-Jewish parent, younger generations are more likely than older generations to be Jewish today.

FT_13.11.12_JewishIntermarriage_younger_generation1For instance, amongst U.S. adults ages 65 and older who had i Jewish parent, 25% are Jewish today (including 7% who are Jews past faith and 18% who are Jews of no organized religion), while 75% are not Jewish (pregnant that they currently identify with a religion other than Judaism or that they do not consider themselves Jewish in whatsoever mode, either by organized religion or otherwise). Amongst adults younger than thirty who have i Jewish parent, by contrast, 59% are Jewish today, including 29% who are Jews by religion and xxx% who are Jews of no religion.

Finally, information technology has often been assumed that Jewish women are less inclined to intermarry than are Jewish men. As Bruce Phillips, a sociologist at Hebrew Union Higher in Los Angeles, has written: "In American popular culture, intermarriage has been the [domain] of Jewish males. Starting with 'Abbie'south Irish Rose' and 'The Jazz Singer' post-obit the turn of the century through 'Bridget Loves Bernie' and the 'Heartbreak Child' in the early 1970s to 'Mad About You' in the 1990s, the plot is virtually a Jewish hubby in love with a stereotypical [non-Jewish adult female]."

Only our survey finds that Jewish women are slightly more likely to be intermarried than Jewish men. Among the married Jewish women surveyed, 47% say they have a non-Jewish spouse. Among the married Jewish men, 41% say they have a non-Jewish spouse.

Alan Cooperman is managing director of religion enquiry at Pew Research Center.