Growth of the Nonreligious

The new, nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life of 4,006 adults conducted March 21-April 8, 2013, asked Americans whether having "more people who are not religious" is a good thing, a bad thing, or doesn't matter for American society.  About half of Americans say the growing number of "people who are not religious" is bad for American society.




Fully a third of U.S. adults say they do not consider themselves a "religious person." And two-thirds of Americans say religion is losing its influence in Americans’ lives. Many more say the growing number of "people who are not religious" is bad than good (48% versus 11%). But about four-in-ten (39%) say it does not make much difference. Even among adults who do not identify with any religion, only about a quarter (24%) say the trend is good, while nearly as many say it is bad (19%); a majority (55%) of the unaffiliated say it does not make much difference for society.



Members of all the major U.S. religious groups with large enough samples for analysis are more inclined to see this development as a bad than good thing for society. White evangelical Protestants are especially likely to say the growing number of people who are not religious is a bad thing, with nearly eight-in-ten (78%) holding this view. Majorities of black Protestants (64%) and white non-Hispanic Catholics (56%) say the same. Fewer than one-in-ten in each of the three groups says this trend is a good thing for society.

The balance of opinion also is lopsided among white mainline Protestants, among whom 45% say the increase in those who are not religious is a bad thing, just 6% say it is a good thing, and 46% say it doesn't make much difference for society.


Among Hispanic Catholics, 36% say it is bad for society, 11% say it is good for society, and about half (48%) say the trend does not matter.
Sue Hodge

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