(NewsNation) — A majority of adult Americans follow the religion they did as a kid, although a sizeable number of people changed their childhood religion.

According to a Pew Research Center survey, 56% of adults in the United States identify with their childhood religion. Meanwhile, 35% have switched religions, have become newly religious or no longer have a religion.

The survey, conducted in May but published in December, asked the adults the reason for their decision to stay or go.

A majority of those who still identify with their childhood religion responded that they believe the religion’s teachings, it fulfills their spiritual needs and it gives their life meaning.

Some also credit a sense of community, familiarity, traditions and the religion’s teachings on social and political issues as extremely or very important reasons for staying with their childhood religion.

Those who left or no longer identify with any religion said they stopped believing in the teachings, it wasn’t important in their life and they just gradually drifted away.

For those who are religiously unaffiliated, their primary reasons were believing they can be moral without religion, questioning a lot of religious teachings and not needing religion to be spiritual.