Author Archives for Herb Weiss

How religious are we? National survey results

Published in RINewsToday.com on April 21, 2025

According to an April 17 article in the National Catholic Register (NCR), outreach, Eucharistic revival, immigration—and perhaps even the Holy Spirit—are sparking spiritual renewal, not just in the United States, but also abroad.

NCR reports that France expects a surge in adult baptisms this year, estimated at more than 10,000. Meanwhile, England is witnessing a quiet Catholic revival, primarily driven by young male converts.

Closer to home, the Rhode Island Catholic, the newspaper of the Diocese of Providence, reported in its latest issue that “Boston Archbishop Richard G. Henning, S.T.D., was greeted by one of the largest crowds in years for a Chrismas Mass at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul. The church was packed with worshippers from across the diocese, and Archbishop Henning described being buoyed by the joyful spirit that began for him during his time as shepherd of the Diocese of Providence.”

What does research say about America’s Catholics?

According to a March 4, 2025 article “10 Facts About U.S. Catholics,” posted on the Pew Research Center’s (PRS) website, around 20% of U.S. adults identify as Catholic, translating to approximately 53 million Catholic adults nationwide.

Here are a few facts detailed in the article…

The share of Hispanic Catholics continues to rise. While since the year 2007, the percentage of white Catholics has dropped by 10 percentage points, the share of Hispanic Catholics has increased by 7 percentage points. In fact, 29% of U.S. Catholics are immigrants, or children of immigrants.

Demographically, Catholics tend to skew older: nearly 58% are age 50 or older. Regionally, 29% reside in the South, 26% in the Northeast, 25% in the West, and 20% in the Midwest.

In terms of education, 35% of U.S. Catholics are college graduates, while 27% have some college experience but no degree, and 38% have a high school diploma or less. Religiously, about three-in-ten Catholics attend Mass weekly or more, while 51% pray daily, and 44% say religion is very important in their lives.

Taking a look at America’s religious communities

PRS’s latest 393 page RLS report, “Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off”, released on Feb. 26, 2025, suggests that the steady decline in Christian affiliation may be stabilizing. As of 2025, 62% of U.S. adults identify as Christian—a 9-point drop since 2014 and 16 points down from 2007—but that figure has held relatively stable between 60% and 64% over the past five years.

This latest RLS is the third major national study conducted by PRC over the past 17 years, each surveying around 36,908 randomly selected respondents. Since the U.S. Census Bureau does not collect religious data, the PRC’s work represents the largest ongoing national survey on religion and spirituality, providing insights into all 50 states, D.C., and 34 of the largest metropolitan areas.

The report, released February 26, 2025, also highlights trends in other faiths. While still in the single digits, the number of Americans identifying with non-Christian religions is growing:

  • 1.7% are Jewish
  • 1.2% are Muslim
  • 1.1% are Buddhist
  • 0.9% are Hindu

Meanwhile, 29% of Americans are religiously unaffiliated, identifying as atheists, agnostics, or “nothing in particular.” This group—often called the NONES — has grown rapidly in previous decades but appears to be plateauing.

Despite this shift, spiritual belief remains widespread:

  • 86% believe in a soul or spirit
  • 83% believe in God or a universal spirit
  • 79% believe in something spiritual beyond the natural world
  • 70% believe in an afterlife (heaven, hell, or both)
  • 92% hold at least one of these spiritual beliefs

Still, the PRC’s RLS warns that signs point to potential future declines in religious affiliation, especially among younger Americans. The study found that only 46% of adults aged 18–24 identify as Christian, compared to 80% of those aged 74 and older. Younger adults are also less likely to pray daily (27% vs. 58%), less likely to attend monthly religious services (25% vs. 49%), and more likely to be religiously unaffiliated (43% vs. 13%).

In the Pew Research study of 2015, it was found, as it hhas been for many years, that Rhode Island is far-and-away the most Catholic state in the country, with 42 percent of Rhode Islanders consider themselves Catholic. Three states are tied for second place at 34 percent: Massachusetts, New Jersey and New Mexico.

Religion and Age

Older Americans continue to form the majority of many Christian denominations:

  • 64% of mainline Protestants
  • 57% of Catholics
  • 54% of evangelicals
    are age 50 or older.

By contrast, Muslims are among the youngest religious groups in the U.S., with three-quarters under the age of 50, and one-third younger than 30.

Among the religiously unaffiliated, about 70% are under 50, compared to 44% among the religiously affiliated, says the RLS.

The median age of U.S. Christians has climbed from 46 in 2007 to 55 in 2024, a trend mirrored across nearly all Christian subgroups. In contrast, the median age of the religiously unaffiliated and those in non-Christian religions has remained relatively stable since 2007.

When respondents were asked how their personal religiousness had changed over their lifetime:

  • 44% reported no significant change,
  • 29% said they had become less religious,
  • 28% said they had become more religious.

The 2023–2024 RLS (The Religious Landscape Study) was conducted in English and Spanish from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 respondents. The survey has a margin of error of ±0.8 percentage points and a response rate of 20%.

This research was made possible through support from The Pew Charitable Trusts, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc., Templeton Religion Trust, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.

To read the full report, visit: https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/02/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_report.pdf.

Tips on coping with the friendship recession

By Herb Weiss,

Published in RINewsToday on April 14, 2025

In the midst of the global pandemic, the May 21 American Perspective Survey (APS) revealed a significant shift in how Americans experience and maintain friendships. The findings, dubbed the “friendship recession,” showed that Americans—especially adult men—reported having fewer close friendships than in the past, talked to their friends less often, and relied less on them for personal support.

According to APS data, the percentage of U.S. adults who report having no close friends has quadrupled to 12% since 1990. Meanwhile, the number of those with ten or more close friends has dropped nearly threefold. For decades, Americans consistently spent about 6.5 hours per week with friends, but between 2014 and 2019, that number dropped to just four hours weekly.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 report, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, along an array of scientific research studies, confirmed that social isolation, loneliness, and difficulty forming or maintaining personal relationships take a toll on both mental and physical health—contributing to increased risks of depression, anxiety, heart disease, and even premature death.

Daniel Cox, director of the Survey Center on American Life, as well as media outlets such as The New York Times and scores of newspapers across the nation, Fox News, PBS, and online platforms, have helped to popularize the term “friendship recession” and raise awareness about its impact on society.

More recently, author and acclaimed podcaster Mel Robbins has brought this issue further into the cultural spotlight by connecting it to the everyday emotional struggles of adults trying to build and maintain meaningful friendships.

Robbins is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and a world-renowned expert on mindset, motivation, and behavior change, whose work has been translated into 50 languages. With millions of books sold, seven #1 Audible titles, and billions of video views.

Robbins, known for her TEDxSF talk “How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over,” and books such as The Let Them Theory, The 5 Second Rule, and The High 5 Habit, delves into the challenges of adult friendships in episode 262 of The Mel Robbins Podcast, which aired on February 10, 2025. titled Why Making Friends as an Adult Feels Impossible & What to Do About It.

The Challenge of Adult Friendships

Robbins observes that many adults feel lonely, isolated, or disconnected—frequently asking themselves, “Where did all my friends go?” She notes, “It does feel impossible to make adult friends.”

In the one-hour-and-seventeen-minute episode, Robbins introduces the concept of the “Great Scattering”—the period following college graduation when people begin pursuing different life paths, often relocating to other cities for work. Unlike childhood, where friendships are easily formed through school classrooms, on the sports field, or extracurriculars, adulthood lacks these built-in social environments.

According to Robbins, the friendship recession isn’t the result of personal shortcomings or antisocial tendencies, but rather the outcome of systemic factors. These include frequent relocations, job transitions, demanding work schedules, and prioritizing family life which can leave little time to nurture or form new friendships. As people age, increasing responsibilities further reduce the time available to build new social bonds.

Robbins also highlights a decline in church attendance, participation in social and civic clubs, and neighborhood gatherings reducing opportunities to meet potential friends. Meanwhile, she says that heavy reliance on social media and texting has further eroded face-to-face interactions, exacerbating the problem.

The Three Pillars of Friendship

Robbins outlines three key elements necessary for creating deep, lasting adult friendships:

1. Proximity: Physical closeness is essential for building bonds. Robbins cites an MIT study showing that proximity—how often you see or “bump into” someone—is the single most important factor in forming friendships. “To create great friendships, you’ve got to spend time with people,” she says.

2. Timing: Shared life stages and experiences—such as parenting, career demands, or health challenges—can support the growth of friendships. While workplace proximity might exist, friendships don’t always develop because “everybody’s all over the place and interested in different things,” Robbins explains.

3. Authenticity and Energy (the “Vibe”): Mutual energy or chemistry matters. “You either feel this thing with somebody or you don’t—and you can’t force it,” she says. “If the energy is off, it’s off.”

Building strong friendships takes time and effort, says Robbins. Research indicates that it takes about 50 hours of interaction to become casual friends, around 90 hours to become good friends, and more than 200 hours to become best friends.

She also encourages listeners to embrace her “Let Them Theory,” which promotes releasing control over others’ actions and focusing instead on your own responses. “This whole notion that you’ve got best friends for life—it’s a modern construct that actually sets us up to fail,” Robbins states. Adults, she says, must accept that people change, move on, and form new social circles. “Let them live their lives,” she advises. “Let them move, change, not invite you. Let them have a social life without you.”

Friendships may drift, and that’s okay. Robbins urges people not to take others’ actions personally and to focus instead on being the kind of friend they themselves would want.

Simple Tips for Making New Friends

“It’s on you to make time for friendships,” says Robbins. She offers several practical tips:

• Take initiative: Reach out with a simple message to reconnect or start a conversation.
• Be consistent: Regular interactions, even brief ones, help build trust and familiarity over time.
• Find common ground: Join clubs or groups aligned with your interests to meet like-minded individuals.
• Be open: Sharing personal experiences helps forge deeper bonds—but know that not every interaction will result in a lasting friendship, and that’s perfectly fine.

Robbins’ episode provides insight into why adult friendships can be difficult to maintain, along with tools to overcome these challenges. By following her strategies, individuals can counteract the effects of the friendship recession and cultivate meaningful connections.

To listen to Robbins’ podcast episode, Why Making Friends as an Adult Feels Impossible & What to Do About It, visit: https://www.melrobbins.com/podcasts/episode-262

The Mel Robbins Podcast releases two new episodes every Monday and Thursday, focusing on motivation, self-improvement, and overcoming obstacles—often grounded in Robbins’ personal experiences. To explore the full podcast library, now over 280 episodes, visit: www.melrobbins.com/podcast.

Robbins introduces The Let Them Theory, a book providing a groundbreaking approach to reclaiming your life by focusing on what you can control and releasing what you can’t. For book details and purchase info, go to  https://www.melrobbins.com/letthemtheory.

Herb Weiss, LRI ‘12, is a Pawtucket-based writer who has covered aging, healthcare, and medical issues for over 45 years. To purchase his books, including Taking Charge: Collected Stories on Aging Boldly and its two sequels, visit herbweiss.com.

Lawmakers consider bill to combat fraud at crypto kiosks

Published in RINewsToday on April 7, 2025

Maybe the second time will be the charm. After the Rhode Island General Assembly failed to address the issue of preventing criminals from using cryptocurrency (Crypto) ATMs to steal from older Rhode Islanders, AARP Rhode Island is renewing its effort to regulate the state’s 120 crypto kiosks and safeguard older residents.

More than 45,000 crypto kiosks, which resemble bank ATMs, allow users to conduct legitimate cryptocurrency transactions, such as sending money to digital wallets. However, unlike banks and other financial services, these kiosks in Rhode Island are not regulated and lack critical fraud protections.

In 2023, the FBI received over 5,500 complaints involving crypto kiosks, with older adults disproportionately affected by scams. In Rhode Island alone, victims lost $10 million to cryptocurrency scams. The Rhode Island State Police also reported a rise in cryptocurrency ATM scams, with 40 cases reported in 2024 and already 21 cases in early 2025.

With fraud spreading through supermarkets, convenience stores, and gas stations, the Washington, D.C. based AARP is working with 17 of its state affiliates, including Rhode Island, to draft and pass bills incorporating daily transaction limits, state operator licensing requirements, scam warnings, and refund options for fraud victims.

Fighting Fraud and Exploitation

Introduced on Jan. 22, 2025, HB 5121, introduced by Rep. Julie Casimiro (D-Dist. 31, North Kingstown, Exeter), aims to license cryptocurrency kiosk operators and mandate the posting of fraud warnings. It also requires Kiosks to display terms and conditions before transactions, including any fees charged and exchange rates. Additionally, it would set fee caps at either $5 or 3% per transaction, and mandate paper receipts containing relevant transactional information.  The bill was referred to the House Committee on Innovation & Technology.

The bill would also require crypto operators to refund transactions and ATM fees in cases of fraud, and impose daily transaction limits to mitigate high-risk  transactions.

On Feb. 11, 2025, the House Committee on Innovation & Technology held its hearing to discuss HB 5121. Supporters and critics testified on its merit.

Written Testimony Highlights


Catherine Taylor, AARP Rhode Island’s State Director, urged lawmakers to pass HB 5121, citing the growing issue of crypto fraud. She referenced Federal Trade Commission (FTC) data showing that, in 2022, the actual amount stolen through fraud was likely closer to $137.4 billion – far exceeding the report $9 billion.

Matthew Netto, AARP Associate State Director, also submitted written testimony, citing a 2023 case where the founders of the Bitcoin of America ATM network were arrested for money laundering and conspiracy (in Ohio), with a focus on defrauding elderly victims. He emphasized that while cryptocurrency is a legitimate form of currency, gaining in popularity, it has become an increasingly attractive tool for criminals. He called on lawmakers to protect older Rhode Islanders, stating that the point of transfer is the best place to deter crime.

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha echoed these concerns, noting the difficulties of navigating the volatile crypto market.  Rhode Island’s top law enforcement officer urged lawmakers to adopt regulations for the operation of crypto kiosks and requiring disclosure of all material risks prior to virtual currency transactions.

Larry Lipka, General Counsel for Coinflip, a global digital currency platform company, expressed cautious support for HB 5121, stating his company supports most provision, some elements – such as the fee cap and physical receipt requirement – could inadvertently encourage less transparency and compliance efforts that help protect consumers. He also raised concern about the bill’s transaction limits, which could undermine anti-money laundering efforts.

Ethan McClelland, Bitcoin Depot’s Director of Government Relations also expressed support for the bill but warned that certain provisions, particularly daily transaction limits and the fee cap, would make it difficult for operators to continue operating in Rhode Island. The company is the largest operator of cryptocurrency kiosks in the United States.

Sen. Victoria Gu (D-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingston), introduced, SB 16, the Senate companion measure.  After a March 18, 2025 hearing before the Senate Commerce Commit the legislative proposal was held for further study.


The Art of Compromise
Following concerns raised during the hearings, the House committee recommended further study of HB 5121. Subsequently, AARP Rhode Island met with Rep. Julie Casimiro, the sponsor of HB 5121, and crypto industry representatives, leading to compromises that satisfied both regulatory advocates and the crypto ATM industry.

As a result of this compromise, the revised version of  HB 5121 was passed on March 27, 2025, by a vote of 10-0.  HB 5121 Sub. A sets daily transaction limits of $2,000 for new customers and $5,000 for existing customers, aligning with regulations in Connecticut.  The fee cap provisions were removed, and physical receipt requirements will take effect in Nov. 2025, while other provisions become law upon passage.

The initial bill required operators to provide full refunds to new customers. In the revised version, new customers must request a full refund within 30 days if they claim fraudulent inducement.

Looking Ahead

The House is expected to vote on HB 5121 Substitute A on Thursday, April 10, 2025. If it passes the Senate must act. With three months left in the 2025 legislative session, an amended version of SB has yet to be introduced.  However, there is ample time for the Senate to amend SB 16 to align with the House version.  Once both chambers pass identical bills, they must be signed by Governor Dan McKee to become law.

If the crypto regulation bill does not pass the Rhode Island General Assembly this year, lawmakers may try again next year.  Will the third time be the charm?

Attorney General Peter Neronha, General Treasurer James Diossa, Senior Agenda Coalition of RI, Westerly Police Department, the Village Common of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Coalition of Elder Justice, Rhode Island State Police and dozens of older Rhode Islanders join the AARP in supporting HB 5121 Sub. A and SB 16.

To watch the House Committee on Innovation & Technology’s  Feb. 11 hearing (HB 5121), go to https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/10801?site=1. Or its March 27 hearing, go to https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/11030?site=1.

To watch the Senate Commerce Committees March 18 hearing (SB 16), go to https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/10973?site=1

AARP provides tips and resources on how you can protect yourself against cryptocurrency ATM scams, go to  https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/crypto-atm/.