People unaffiliated with any religion constitute nearly 20 percent of the American public, making them almost as numerous as Catholics, who accounted for 22 percent of the participants in a recent Pew Research Center study. The survey, released on Oct. 9, found that people who say they are atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” grew by almost 5 percentage points since 2007, from 15.3 percent of the population to 19.6 percent. The greatest shift toward “nothing in particular” apparently came from Protestants, who now make up 48 percent of the population, compared to 53 percent in 2007. “These are not necessarily nonbelievers,” said Greg Smith, senior researcher for the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. “They’re just not associated with any faith in particular.” The unaffiliated tend to be younger than the general public, the survey showed, with 35 percent between ages 18 and 29.
'Nones' Gain Most
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
Pope Leo offered a heartening message for a global media that has endured a pretty awful year.
If you think our enthusiasm for our basketball team was intense, just wait until you see our support for Pope Leo XIV.
“I don’t think he’s the kind of man who sends coded messages,” Cardinal Michael Czerny says in this exclusive interview with Gerard O’Connell.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a ruling denying state funds to a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma. What should American Catholics be asking about public funding for school choice?