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Irreligious Americans
Total population
46,000,000 (2010)
20% of the U.S. population (2012)[1]
(Pew Research Center)
Regions with significant populations
New England region, Western United States
Religion
Irreligion (Nones)
(including agnosticism, atheism, deism, skepticism, freethought/freethinker, secular humanism, ignosticism, Nonbeliever, Non-theist, Rationalist)

Encompassing at least agnosticism, atheism, secular humanism, and general secularism,[2] nonreligious Americans have been counted in the tens of millions by various polls.[2][3] Many Americans, especially in the American West, have historically rejected both organized religion and nonreligion, preferring what historians sometimes call "disorganized religion".[4] For example, deists may be religious, though not part of any organized religion.[5]

In a 2006 Point of Inquiry podcast, Tom_Flynn_(author) stated, "Over a period from the late 1980's to the dawn of the 21st century, a number of polls using a number of different methodologies had continued to show a study rise, an approximate doubling in the number of people who did not claim traditional religious affiliation."[6]

A 2008 Gallup survey reported that religion is not an important part of their daily life for 34% of Americans.[7] A 2012 study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life reported, "The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling."[8] But being religiously unaffiliated does not mean that a person is not religious in some way; 68% of the religiously unaffiliated say they believe in God.[8]

Some evidence suggests that the fastest-growing religious status in the United States is "no religion",[9] comprising nearly 20% of the adult public as of 2012.[8] According to the Pew Research Center report people describing themselves as "atheist" or "agnostic" were 6% of the total population in the US, and within the religiously unaffiliated (or "no religion") demographic, atheists made up 12% and agnostics made up 17%.[10] Those who have no religious affiliation are sometimes referred to as "nones".[8][9][11]

Several groups promoting no religious faith or opposing religious faith altogether – including the Freedom From Religion Foundation, American Atheists, Camp Quest, and the Rational Response Squad – have witnessed large increases in membership numbers in recent years, and the number of secularist student organizations at American colleges and universities increased during the 2000s (decade).[3][12]

Demographics

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A Barna group poll found that about 20 million people say they are atheist, have no religious faith, or are agnostic, with 5 million of that number claiming to be atheists. The study also found that "[t]hey tend to be more educated, more affluent and more likely to be male and unmarried than those with active faith" and that "only 6 percent of people over 60 have no faith in God, and one in four adults ages 18 to 22 describe themselves as having no faith."[3]

A 2008 Gallup poll asking the question "Which of the following statements comes closest to your belief about God: you believe in God, you don't believe in God but you do believe in a universal spirit or higher power, or you don't believe in either?" showed that, nationally, 78% believed in God, 15% in "a universal spirit or higher power", 6% answering "neither", and 1% unsure. The poll also highlighted the regional differences, with residents in the Western states answering 59%, 29%, and 10% respectively, compared to the residents in the Southern states that answered 86%, 10%, and 3%.[13] Several of the western states have been informally nicknamed Unchurched Belt, contrasting with the Bible Belt in the southern states.

The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) found that while 34.8 million U.S. Adults (15.2%) described themselves as "without religion", almost 90% of these answered "none" with no qualifications. Only 1.4 million (4.0%) positively claimed to be atheist, with another 2 million (5.7%) professing agnosticism.[14]

The percentage of people in North America who identify with a religion as opposed to having "no religion" (2001 US) (1991,98,99 CA).

Tables

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The contiguous U.S. states, Washington D.C. and territories ranked by percentage of population claiming no religion is as follows:[15][16]

Rank Jurisdiction % Irreligious
- United States 20%
01 Vermont 34%
02 New Hampshire 29%
03 Wyoming 28%
04 Alaska 27%
05 Maine 25%
06 Washington 25%
07 Nevada 24%
08 Oregon 24%
09 Delaware 23%
10 Idaho 23%
11 Massachusetts 22%
12 Colorado 21%
13 Montana 21%
14 Rhode Island 19%
15 California 18%
16 Hawaii 18%
17 Washington D.C. 18%
18 Arizona 17%
19 Nebraska 17%
20 Ohio 17%
21 Michigan 16%
22 New Mexico 16%
23 Indiana 15%
24 Iowa 15%
25 New Jersey 15%
26 Pennsylvania 15%
27 Virginia 15%
28 West Virginia 15%
29 Wisconsin 15%
30 Connecticut 14%
31 Florida 14%
32 Missouri 14%
33 New York 14%
34 Utah 14%
35 Illinois 13%
36 Kentucky 13%
37 Minnesota 12%
38 South Dakota 12%
39 Texas 12%
40 Alabama 11%
41 Kansas 11%
42 Maryland 11%
43 Oklahoma 11%
44 North Carolina 10%
45 South Carolina 10%
46 Georgia 9%
47 Tennessee 9%
48 Arkansas 8%
49 Louisiana 8%
50 North Dakota 7%
51 American Samoa[17] 5%
52 Mississippi 5%
53 U.S. Virgin Islands[18] 4%
54 Guam[19] 2.5%
55 Puerto Rico 2%
56 Northern Mariana Islands[20] 1%
Race % Irreligious[8]
European 20%
Latino 16%
African 15%
Gender % Irreligious
Men 23%
Women 17%
Generation % Irreligious
Younger Millennials 34%
Older Millennials 30%
GenXers 21%
Boomers 15%
Silent 9%
Greatest 5%

Studies on irreligion

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A comprehensive study by Harvard University professor Robert Putnam found that religious Americans are three to four times more likely than their nonreligious counterparts to "work on community projects, belong to voluntary associations, attend public meetings, vote in local elections, attend protest demonstrations and political rallies, and donate time and money to causes -- including secular ones."[21][22] However, the study found that religious people are somewhat less tolerant of free speech and dissent than non-religious people.[23][24]

Alan Cooperman of Pew Research Center notes that nonbelievers commonly grew up in a religious tradition and consciously lost it after an amount of reflection, study and sentient decision making.[25][26][27]

However, the American public at large often has a less positive view of the irreligious. One "extensive study of how Americans view various minority groups", found that "atheists are at the top of the list of groups that Americans find problematic."[28] A Religion and Public Life Survey (2002) found that 54 percent of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of atheists,[29] and 28 percent have an unfavorable opinion of people who are "not religious."[30]

Irreligion in politics

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Exit polls suggest that white Americans without religion vote Democratic at roughly the same rates that white Americans with religion vote Republican. According to exit polls in the 2008 presidential election, 71% of non-religious whites voted for Democratic candidate Barack Obama while 74% of white Evangelical Christians voted for Republican candidate John McCain. This can be compared with the 43–55% share of white votes overall.[31] More than six-in-ten religiously unaffiliated registered voters are Democrats (39%) or lean toward the Democratic Party (24%). They are about twice as likely to describe themselves as political liberals than as conservatives, and solid majorities support legal abortion (72%) and same-sex marriage (73%). In the last five years, the unaffiliated have risen from 17% to 24% of all registered voters who are Democrats or lean Democratic.[32] According to a Pew Research exist poll 70% of those who were religiously unaffiliated voted for Barack Obama.

In January 2007, California Congressman Pete Stark became the first openly atheist member of Congress. He described himself as "a Unitarian who does not believe in a Supreme Being." In January 2013, Kyrsten Sinema became the first openly non-theist Congresswoman, representing the State of Arizona. Although she "believes the terms ‘nontheist,’ ‘atheist’ or ‘nonbeliever’ are not befitting of her life’s work or personal character," she does believe in a secular approach to government. Her unbelief "was not used to slander her as un-American or suggest that she was unfit for office."[33]

On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama became the first United States President to acknowledge "non-believers" in his inaugural address,[34] although other presidents such as George W. Bush[35] have previously acknowledged non-believers in different speeches.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Losing Our Religion: The Growth Of The 'Nones'
  2. ^ a b Kosmin, Barry et al. American Religious Identification Survey, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (2001). Accessed 2013-09-26.
  3. ^ a b c Salmon, Jacqueline. "In America, Nonbelievers Find Strength in Numbers", Washington Post (September 15, 2007).
  4. ^ Ward, Geoffrey. The West: An Illustrated History, p. 151 (Hachette Digital 2008).
  5. ^ Schultz, Jeffrey et al. Encyclopedia of Religion in American Politics, p. 73 (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999).
  6. ^ Grothe, D.J. "The Rise of the Non-Religious"". Point of Inquiry. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  7. ^ Frank, Newport (28 January 2009). "State of the States: Importance of Religion". Gallup. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e "'Nones' on the Rise: One-in-Five Adults Have No Religious Affiliation". Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012. Cite error: The named reference "pew" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b "American Nones: The Profile of the No Religion Population" (PDF). American Religious Identification Survey. 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  10. ^ Cary Funk, Greg Smith. "Nones" on the Rise: One-in-Five Adults Have No Religious Affiliation" (PDF). Pew Research Center. pp. 9, 42.
  11. ^ Hunter, Jeannine. "Who are the 'Nones'?". Washington Post. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  12. ^ Atheist Student Groups Flower on College Campuses
  13. ^ Newport, Frank (28 July 2008). "Belief in God Far Lower in Western U.S." Gallup. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
  14. ^ The No Religion Population of the U.S.
  15. ^ Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, Summary report, March 2009, American Religious Identification Survey [ARIS 2008], Trinity College.
  16. ^ Barry A. Kosmin, Ariela Keysar, et al., American Nones: The Profile of the No Religion Population, Trinity College.
  17. ^ "Google Drive Viewer". Docs.google.com. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  18. ^ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | National Profiles". Thearda.com. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  19. ^ Joshua Project. "Country - Guam". Joshua Project. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  20. ^ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | National Profiles". Thearda.com. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  21. ^ "Religious people make better citizens, study says". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 18 October 2007. The scholars say their studies found that religious people are three to four times more likely to be involved in their community. They are more apt than nonreligious Americans to work on community projects, belong to voluntary associations, attend public meetings, vote in local elections, attend protest demonstrations and political rallies, and donate time and money to causes -- including secular ones. At the same time, Putnam and Campbell say their data show that religious people are just "nicer": they carry packages for people, don't mind folks cutting ahead in line and give money to panhandlers.
  22. ^ Campbell, David; Putnam, Robert (14 November 2010). "Religious people are 'better neighbors'". USA Today. Retrieved 18 October 2007. The scholars say their studies found that religious people are three to four times more likely to be involved in their community. They are more apt than nonreligious Americans to work on community projects, belong to voluntary associations, attend public meetings, vote in local elections, attend protest demonstrations and political rallies, and donate time and money to causes — including secular ones.
  23. ^ Campbell, David; Putnam, Robert (14 November 2010). "Religious people are 'better neighbors'". USA Today. Retrieved 18 October 2007. On the one hand, religious Americans are somewhat less tolerant of free speech and dissent.
  24. ^ "The Importance of Religion". 21 February 2009. Daily Kos. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  25. ^ Treharne, Trevor (2012). How to Prove God Does Not Exist: The Complete Guide to Validating Atheism. p. 198.
  26. ^ Landsberg, Mitchell (28 September 2010). "Atheists, agnostics most knowledgeable about religion, survey says". Los Angeles Times.
  27. ^ September 27, 2010 (27 September 2010). "How Ignorant About Religion Are Religious Americans?". Patheos.com. Retrieved 17 May 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ Edgell, Penny. 2003. "In Rhetoric and Practice: Defining ‘The Good Family’ in Local Congregations." pp. 164–78 In Handbook of the Sociology of Religion, edited by Michele Dillon, Cambridge University Press.
  29. ^ Religion and Public Life Survey. 2002. opinion of atheists (last accessed 2013-05-14).
  30. ^ Religion and Public Life Survey. 2002. Opinion of non-religious people (last accessed 2013-05-14).
  31. ^ CNN Exit polls
  32. ^ ""Nones" on the Rise". Pew Research. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  33. ^ Oppenheimer, Mark (9 November 2012). "Politicians Who Reject Labels Based on Religion". New York Times. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  34. ^ An inaugural first: Obama acknowledges 'non-believers'
  35. ^ "Bush, like Obama, acknowledged non-believers". USA Today. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
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Category:Religion in the United States Category:Religious demographics Category:Secularism in the United States Category:Opposition to religion

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