Religious ‘Nones’ in America: Who They Are and What They Believe
28% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular” when asked about their religion.
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Many people in U.S., other advanced economies say it’s not necessary to believe in God to be moral
Most Americans say it’s not necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values, according to a spring 2022 survey.
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Key Findings From the Global Religious Futures Project
The Global Religious Futures (GRF) project is jointly funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and The John Templeton Foundation. Here are some big-picture findings from the GRF, together with context from other Pew Research Center studies.
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Religious ‘switching’ patterns will help determine Christianity’s course in U.S.
Whether the U.S. will continue to have a Christian majority in 2070 will depend on many factors, including religious “switching.”
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Modeling the Future of Religion in America
Since the 1990s, large numbers of Americans have left Christianity to join the growing ranks of U.S. adults who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular.” If recent trends in religious switching continue, Christians could make up less than half of the U.S. population within a few decades.
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Christians, religiously unaffiliated differ on whether most things in society can be divided into good, evil
Highly religious Americans are much more likely to see society in those terms, while nonreligious people tend to see more ambiguity.
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About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated
Self-identified Christians make up 63% of the U.S. population in 2021, down from 75% a decade ago.
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Unlike other U.S. religious groups, most atheists and agnostics oppose the death penalty
Roughly two-thirds of atheists (65%) and six-in-ten agnostics (57%) either “strongly” or “somewhat” oppose the death penalty.
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Among religious ‘nones,’ atheists and agnostics know the most about religion
Atheists and agnostics know more about religion than most other religious groups, while those with no particular religion are among the least knowledgeable.
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5 facts about religion in Canada
A declining share of Canadians identify as Christians. Most Canadians say religion’s influence in public life is waning in their country.
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‘New Age’ beliefs common among both religious and nonreligious Americans
Many U.S. Christians – as well as the religiously unaffiliated – hold “New Age” beliefs, which include belief in reincarnation and astrology.
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