8 facts about atheists
Around six-in-ten U.S. atheists are men (64%). And seven-in-ten are ages 49 or younger, compared with about half of U.S. adults overall (52%).
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Around six-in-ten U.S. atheists are men (64%). And seven-in-ten are ages 49 or younger, compared with about half of U.S. adults overall (52%).
Read about some of the ways focus group participants with ties to different faith traditions explain the complex relationship of religion and culture in their lives.
Based on formal religious identity, China is the least religious country in the world – with just 10% of Chinese adults self-identifying with a religion.
A rising share of Asian Americans say they have no religion (32%), but many consider themselves close to one or more religious traditions for reasons such as family or culture. Christianity is still the largest faith group among Asian Americans (34%).
Highly religious Americans are much more likely to see society in those terms, while nonreligious people tend to see more ambiguity.
Catholics remain the largest religious group among Latinos in the United States, even as their share among Latino adults has steadily declined over the past decade. The share of Latinos who are religiously unaffiliated is now on par with U.S. adults overall.
Overall, 70% of U.S. adults describe themselves as spiritual in some way, including 22% who are spiritual but not religious. An overwhelming majority of U.S. adults (83%) say they believe that people have a soul or spirit in addition to their physical body. And 81% say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we cannot see it.
The vast majority of religiously unaffiliated Black Americans believe in God and about half pray regularly, although few attend services.
Disagreements among Americans across the religious spectrum extend to personal issues, such as life priorities and gender roles in the family.
Self-identified Christians make up 63% of the U.S. population in 2021, down from 75% a decade ago.
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