Americans without Religion Becoming Larger Segment of Population

An astounding number of religions are represented among the United States population. Among Americans are Roman Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Mormons, Muslims, Jains, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, and followers of other faiths as well. It would seem that ours is a deeply devout country. But the segment of the population that claims no religious affiliation at all is growing rapidly. A recent study showed that 20 percent of Americans expressed a preference for “no religion.” That is a huge jump since 1990, when only 8 percent admitted the same view.

The survey asked the question “What is your religious preference? Is it Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, some other religion, or no religion?” The question did not address specific beliefs. Among the results are these:

·         People who are politically liberal were more likely than political conservatives to claim “no religion.” The ratio was 40 percent to 9 percent.

·         Men were more likely than women to claim “no religion.” The count was 24 percent of men and 16 percent of women.

·         Age is a major factor. More than one-third of respondents aged 18 to 24 said that they claimed no religion, compared to just 7 percent of people 75 and older.

To explain the trend, some observers point to the rise of the religious right in American politics. This view proposes that many people associate organized religion with conservative views on gay marriage, women’s rights, birth control, and similar topics. As Americans in general become more relaxed about these issues, more people are rejecting the religious beliefs that accompany the stricter attitudes.

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Related Links

• Americans and Religion Increasingly Parting Ways, Survey Shows
  Here is the news release from the University of California about the study.
  (Source: UC Berkeley News Center, March 12, 2013)
• More Americans Have No Religious Preference: Key Finding from the 2012 General Social Survey
  This website provides the complete text of the study.
  (Source: Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, March, 2013)
• Religion among Americans Hits Low Point, as More People Say They Have No Religious Affiliation: Report
  Scroll down for a video that features people from various places on the political spectrum commenting on the significance of and reasons for the trend.
  (Source: Huffington Post, March 13, 2013)
• How Many North Americans Attend Religious Services (and How Many Lie about Going)?
  This website provides a breakdown of statistics of reported church attendance.
  (Source: Religious Tolerance.org; accessed March 31, 2013)
• Irreligion in the United States
  This page examines how “nones” are distributed across the country.
  (Source: Wikipedia; accessed March 31, 2013)