Reflecting the trend witnessed in recent decades, a survey from Pew Research Centre has found that the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion has now increased to 28 per cent. “As recently as the early 1990s, about 90% of U.S. adults identified as Christians,” according to an earlier Pew report, showing a shift within a relatively short period. The new survey (‘Religious ‘Nones’ in America: Who They Are and What They Believe’) talks more about the profile of “nones” – people who say “none” when asked about their religious affiliation. It includes atheists (who do not believe in the existence of God), agnostics (who are sceptical of the existence of God) or those who believe in “nothing in particular”. We explain what it says, and why it matters in what has been seen as a largely religious society. What Pew’s report says – who are the “nones” in the US? Pew’s January 24 report notes that the percentage of people identifying as “nones” has been increasing. Here’s what the report says about the group: On their belief in God: Among nones, 17% of people identify as atheists, 20% as agnostic and 63% say they believe in “nothing in particular.” “Overall, 19% of religious “nones” are strict nonbelievers who don’t believe in God or any higher power, don’t believe humans have souls, don’t think there’s anything beyond the natural world, don’t think there’s a heaven and don’t believe in hell.” But the rest of the nones do have some kind of supernatural belief. Also, “About half say spirituality is very important in their lives or say they think of themselves as spiritual.” On the reason for views on religion: According to Pew, “Overall, 43% of “nones” say religion does more harm than good in society, while 14% say it does more good than harm; 41% say religion does equal amounts of good and harm.” The three most common reasons for the nones’ lack of identification with religion come from their questioning of religious teachings (60%), dislike for religious organisations (47%) and because they do not see a need for religion in their lives (41%). Also, many of the nones believe that science does more good than harm in American society, and are more likely to hold such views when compared to religiously affiliated people. On Education, Race and Gender: Among nones, those who do not particularly believe in any supernatural power are likely to be less educated compared to religious Americans. But overall, atheists and agnostics have attained higher education levels compared to religious groups. Adults make up larger shares of atheists (77%) and agnostics (69%) than of people whose religion is “nothing in particular” (57%). In general, the racial breakdown of nones is broadly similar to the racial breakdown of Americans who identify with a religion, the report says. Also, 69% of nones are under the age of 50, while 45% of US adults who identify with a religion are under 50. Nones overall are roughly split between men (51%) and women (47%). The populations of atheists and agnostics include far more men than women. More women are part of the “nothing in particular” group. So is the growing number of “nones” good or bad? While nones have flagged their criticisms of religion, the role it plays in organising individuals as a community and in involving people in acts of public service is still significant. The Pew survey found that religious “nones” are, on average, less civically and politically engaged than people who identify with a religion. Those identifying with “nothing in particular” see more pronounced differences on the matter than other nones. Join us for Explained Live event on India’s space ambition Further, it is difficult to say so far what is driving these trends. Some scholars have said in the past that growing industrialisation and globalisation across the world have given rise to individualism. Or, as the respondents of this survey say, the factors responsible are their distrust in traditional, organised religion, even as they maintain some belief in spirituality.
