Languages

As of 2000, 60.5% of California residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 25.8% speak Spanish. Chinese is the third most spoken language at 2.6%, followed by Tagalog at 2.5% and Vietnamese at 1.3%. The indigenous languages of California number more than one hundred, but most are in danger of language death, despite revitalization efforts. Since 1986, the California Constitution has specified English as the common and official language of the state. The politics of language, particularly concerning language policy regarding the teaching and official use of immigrant languages is a major political issue in the state.

Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of California:

• Christian - 75%
  • Protestant - 38%
    • Baptist - 8%
    • Presbyterian - 3%
    • Methodist - 2%
    • Lutheran - 2%
    • Other Protestant or general Protestant - 23%
  • Anglican - 2%
  • Roman Catholic - 34%
  • Other Christian - 3%
• Jewish - 2% (but heavily concentrated in the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas, where they are a more significant part of the total population)
• Other Religions - 3%
• Non-Religious - 20%

As with many other western states, the percentage of California's population identifying themselves as "non-religious" is high, relative to the rest of the U.S.