A decade ago, an overwhelming majority of non-Christians, including people between the ages 16 and 29, were "favorably" disposed toward Christianity's role in society. But today, just 16% of non-Christians in that age group had a "good impression" of the religion

Among the most common perceptions held by young non-Christians about American Christianity were that it is judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%), old-fashioned (78%) and too involved in politics (75%).

Even among Christians, half of young believers said they too view Christianity to be judgmental, hypocritical and too political. One-third said it was old-fashioned and out of touch with reality.

Evangelicals come under the severest attack, with just 3% of the 16- to 29-year-old non-Christians indicating favorable views toward this subgroup of believers. The study also found that many Christians were aware of their religion's image problem.

In a typical week, 72% of teenagers pray, compared with 83% of adults, the study said.