Catholicism has always been an identifier of Latinos. In supermarkets throughout the United States religious candles decorated with the images saints line the shelves of the Latino food sections along with Goya products and Milo chocolate powder. However, Latinos continue to desert the Catholic faith in exchange of Protestantism or no faith at all. 

A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center reveals that the popularity of Catholicism among Latinos has been in decline despite the fact that Latinos are a growing number of Catholics.

Catholicism arrived in Latin America alongside the Spanish conquistadors who brought priests to the New World to instruct the native peoples and convert them to the Church of Rome. For three centuries Catholicism was the dominant religious dogma from California to the Patagonia and until recently it had not faltered in the competition for Latinos' souls.

With the increase of Latino immigration to the United States, the racial and ethnic make up of the country continues to evolve; however, in exchange the U.S. has been affecting the faith of Latinos. According to a report by the Pew Research Center, 55 percent of Latinos identify as Catholic, a 12-point drop in the last four years. Yet, the number of Latinos who identify as Protestant or to no religion continues to rise.

The survey, as the report states, also separated religious affiliation by nationality. Those who were of Mexican or Dominican descent were more likely to identify as Catholic whereas those who were Salvadorian were more likely to call themselves evangelical.

The Pew Research Center survey was conducted between May 24 and July 28, 2013 and interviewed 5,103 Hispanic adults ranging from the ages of 18 and up. The authors of the survey point out that they found marginal changes in those older than 50 years of age. However, those within the 18 to 29 year old cohort saw a departure from Catholicism to no religious affiliation. Those between the ages of 30 and 49 were more likely to leave Catholicism for Protestantism.

According to the Pew Research Center, the trend of younger Latinos leaving religion altogether follows a larger trend within the nation. The greatest shift has been found between those raised Catholic and whether they continue to identify as such. Seventy-seven percent of Latinos interviewed were raised Catholic but only 55 percent identified as such, 22-point change.

Meanwhile Protestant affiliation has risen by 8 points to 22 percent from 14 and no affiliation has risen from 6 percent to 18. The survey revealed that of those Latinos who migrated to the U.S. and were raised Catholics half changed their faith after arriving in the country while the other half had changed it before. However, there is a greater discrepancy among those born in the United States, with Catholics garnering the greatest losses.

Though Catholicism seems to be on the decline among Latinos, they still make up a third of Catholics in the nation, a number that continues to rise adds the Pew Research Center. They state the reason is because of the growing number of Latinos in the nation offsets the losses of Catholics.

It is still too soon to tell whether supermarkets around the country will begin dropping the votive candles from the Latino food aisles; nonetheless, it is evident that faith is changing among Latinos much like the rest of the country. For more details and information look through the survey here.