Hindus most educated group in US: Report

WASHINGTON: Among religious groups in the US, Hindus are the most educated - based on college degrees - followed by Unitarian Universalists, Jews, Anglicans and congregants of the Episcopal Church, according to a new study.

Hindus are ahead of atheists and agnostics, too, the report claims.

The study by Pew used the four-year college degree as the yardstick, saying it is regarded as the key asset for economic success.

Hindus accounted for the largest share of those with college degrees, with 77%. Unitarians, a religious group that draws inspiration from a range of sacred scriptures - Indian-american lawmaker Ami Bera is one - are in second place with 67%.

Jews and Anglican church adherents were joint third at 59%, and the Episcopal church rounded off the top five with 56%.

Atheists and agnostics accounted for 43% and 42% respectively, Muslims were 39% and Catholics 26%.

The US government doesn’t keep an official count of its population based on religion, but an estimated 0.7% of Americans could be Hindus, according to a 2014 study by Pew.

Various estimates put the number between 2 million and 3 million.

While a large number of Hindus in the US are of Indian descent, arriving here from India or as diasporas in Africa and the Caribbeans, there are others such as Tulsi Gabbard, a member of the US House of Representatives from Hawaii.

The Pew made the connection between the high level of education among Hindus and Jews to project why they are also the richest in the country.

“Given the strong correlation between educational attainment and economic success, it is not surprising that Jews and Hindus, on average, have high household incomes, with 4-in-10 Jews (44%) and roughly a third of Hindus (36%) living in households with annual incomes of at least $100,000,” the latest report said, citing its 2014 findings.