Do you still affiliate with the general religious tradition of your childhood? If so, you are among the majority. In his new book, 20 Myths About Religion and Politics in America (Fortress Press, 2022), Ryan P. Burge includes the myth that the growth of the nones (those with no religious affiliation) is largely from people leaving the church (Myth #15, p.165-174). Using widely available data, Burge shows that the growth of nones is actually due to generational replacement and high retention Read More …
nones
The Largest Religion in America in 2037 (#1711)
The rise of the "nones" (those claiming no religious affiliation) has been well documented in general, and also here on this blog. Assuming the shift away from religious affiliation continues, when might the largest "religious group" in America become those without a religious affiliation? Rise of the Nones Allen Downey, Professor of Computer Science at Olin College, recently shared on his blog an extended version of an article he initially published in Scientific American Read More …
Religiously Unaffiliated: 25 Years of Growth (#1648)
From 1971 to 1991, the religiously unaffiliated ranged between 5% and 8% of the adult population in America. While data from the General Social Survey shows that the percentage was higher in some years than others, it featured growth and decline in irregular and unpredictable ways within that narrow range. Twenty-five years ago (1991) I had no idea what it meant to be religiously unaffiliated. Terms like "nones" or "religiously unaffiliated" were not in my vocabulary. While my Read More …
Millions More Leaving Organized Religion (#1534)
The rise of the nones (those people claiming no religious affiliation) has been a popular topic of conversation since well before I started this blog in 2009. As one who has long been involved in leadership positions within so-called organized religion, I find this ongoing shift has significant implications for Christian communities of faith. Earlier this month the Public Religion Research Institute shared the latest statistic: 22% of American adults are now nones. There are, Read More …
Latinos Leaving Catholicism (#1417)
The longstanding cultural expectation that Latinos are overwhelmingly Catholic is shifting. New data from Pew Research finds that "a majority (55%) of the nation’s estimated 35.4 million Latino adults – or about 19.6 million Latinos – identify as Catholic today." To put this in perspective, one must understand that the percentage of Latinos self-identifying as Catholic has been declining for two decades, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Over the last four years alone, Read More …
Causes of Religious Non-Affiliation (#1390)
Allen Downey, a computer scientist at Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts, recently published a paper suggesting that the rapid rise in those who label their religious preference as "none" (no religious affiliation) is likely caused by generational replacement - 50%, religious upbringing - 25%, internet use - 20%, and college education - 5%. So What? As one who studies changes in American religious affiliation, I am fascinated to find a computer scientist suggesting a list of Read More …
Reality Check: Religious Non-Affiliation (#1331)
In recent months I have had more conversations than ever before about the continued rise of the nones (the increase in the percentage of American adults without formal religious affiliation). While there is plenty of data out there showing that the percentage of nones is increasing (for example:"America the Religiously Diverse" and "Rise of the Nones") it doesn't answer the number one assumption I hear: as people age they become more religious. This assumption sounds logical and Read More …
US Jews = Less Religious (#1202)
A recently published Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project survey shows that American Jews are becoming less religious. Currently, just over one-in-five Jews (22%) self-identify as having no religion. While the rise in the percentage of Jews who label themselves as not being religious is noteworthy, the generational divide is of even greater significance. The percent of Jews who have no religion increases from the oldest living generation to the youngest Read More …
Rise of the Nones (#1167)
Claude Fischer, professor of sociology at UC Berkeley, recently wrote a blog post that provides a solid overview of the growth of "nones" (those who self-identify as religiously non-affiliated) over the last 30 years. The three most significant polls (GSS, Gallup, and Pew) all illustrate the rise of the "nones" from just 7% of the adult population in the United States in the 1980s to 18-20% by 2012. Fischer remarks, "By all these methods, the rise in 'nones' is a major American Read More …
Canadian Nones (#1097)
While I have written extensively about the rise of the religiously non-affiliated (also known as "nones") in the United States, I have given far less attention to how this trend is impacting our neighbor to the North. Results from the 2011 National Household Survey show even as Christianity remains the dominant religion in Canada, the nones are growing quickly. More specifically, as a percentage of the population by year "nones" accounted for 2011: 23.9% 2001: 16.5%, Read More …