The Pew Research Center has released the data from their latest study regarding religion in modern day America and the "nones" still maintain a large influence on science, morality, and civic engagement.
Taken from a pool of 5,755 respondents, the new poll showed 28% of Americans checked "unaffiliated" when asked how they identify religiously. This is compared to a 2021 Pew Research poll that had the "nones" at 29%.
Despite the name, "none" doesn’t mean nihilist or even atheist as the label would imply, according to Pew:
- Most "nones" believe in God or another higher power, but very few go to religious services regularly.
- Most say religion does some harm, but many also think it does some good. They are not uniformly anti-religious.
- Most "nones" reject the idea that science can explain everything. But they express more positive views of science than religiously affiliated Americans do.
While the results may appear as benign as the name implies, the large percentage of "none" in America has a trickle-down effect on many facets of life. "Nones" tend to vote less often, do less volunteer work, and are generally less engaged in civics and public affairs than those who are religiously affiliated.
When broken down further, 17% identify as atheist, 20% say they are agnostic, and 63% responded "nothing in particular."
While most "nones" said religion is the cause of many of society’s ills such as intolerance and superstition, they also acknowledged that religion helps give people meaning and purpose and that it can encourage people to treat their fellow citizens kindly.
"Nones" tend to be young, with 69% under the age of 50, and 63% identify as white.
Where this shakes out politically, despite their views, "nones" are less likely to engage civically as only 39% claimed to have voted in the 2022 election compared to 51% of religious Americans.