July 20 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. will cease to be a majority Protestant country in years because of a steep drop in membership at many Protestant churches, the Associated Press reported, citing a new study.

The share of people in the U.S. who said they were Protestant fell from 63 percent in 1993 to 52 percent in 2002 after years of stability, according to a report by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

During the same period, people who said they had no religious ties rose to almost 14 percent from 9 percent. Roman Catholics have remained steady, making up about 25 percent of the U.S. population, as have the number of people who identify themselves as Jewish, at just under 2 percent, the AP reported.

The survey defined Protestants as people who said they are members of a Protestant denomination, such as the Episcopal or Southern Baptist churches. The category includes the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and independent Protestant churches, the AP said.

The AP didn't disclose how many people were questioned in the survey.

(AP 7-20)

To contact the reporter on this story: Kim Chipman in Washington at kchipman@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 20, 2004 13:49 EDT