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Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

One-fifth of Americans Now Religiously Unaffiliated

Tricia Tongco |
October 9, 2012 | 3:00 p.m. PDT

Executive Producer

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans now identify themselves as "unaffiliated" with any religious denomination, according to a new Pew Research survey out Tuesday.

The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion, also known as “nones,” continues to grow at a rapid pace. The new numbers reveal the highest percentages ever of its kind in Pew Research Center polling.

Pew breaks down the category of “nones” into three sub-groups: atheist, agnostic or "nothing in particular.”

In relation to politics, more than six in ten religiously unaffiliated registered voters are Democrats (39%). They are about twice as likely to describe themselves as political liberals than as conservatives, and solid majorities support legal abortion (72%) and same-sex marriage (73%).

One of the main factors behind the rise of the “nones” is the gradual replacement of older generations by new ones. Not only are young adults less likely to be affiliated than their elders, but the percentage of Americans who were raised without an affiliation has been rising gradually, from about 3% in the early 1970s to about 8% in the past decade. However, the overwhelming majority of the “nones” were brought up in a religious tradition.

For more Neon Tommy coverage on religion, go here.

Reach Reporter Tricia Tongco here and follow her on Twitter.



 

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