Is the Rise of Religious ‘Nones’ Ending? Pew Research Finds Decline in 2023
The percentage of Americans who say they don’t identify with any religion fell three points in 2023, according to new Pew Research Center data that also found that more than two-thirds of “nones”–despite their identity–say they believe in God or a higher power.
The data, released this week, shows that the percentage of U.S. adults who identify as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular” declined from an all-time high of 31 percent in 2022 to 28 percent in 2023.
It’s possible the rise of the “nones” has ended, but it’s too early to say definitively, Pew said.
“In two of the last five years, we obtained readings above 28 percent,” Pew said in an online analysis. “In 2022, our estimate of 31 percent was 3 percentage points higher, while the 29 percent we recorded in 2021 was just 1 point higher. We haven’t found any readings below 28 percent in the past five years. … Soon, with more data in hand, we’ll be in a better position to judge whether the 2023 estimate marked a turning point for the ‘nones’ or was just a blip on the way to continued growth.”
Among Americans who are included in this category of “nones,” 17 percent identify as atheist, 20 percent as agnostic and 63 percent as nothing in particular.
Additionally, 69 percent of “nones” say they believe in the biblical God or a higher power (13 percent say they believe in the God as described in the Bible, while 56 percent say they believe in an undefined higher power).
“Just 29 percent reject the notion that there is any higher power or spiritual force in the universe,” Pew said. “Most ‘nones’ say they were raised in a religion, usually Christianity. Yet today, they tend to be disconnected from religious institutions. Not only have they shaken off religious labels, they also have largely shaken off involvement in churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious organizations.”
About 90 percent of “nones” say they seldom or never go to religious services.
Meanwhile, Pew found that “nones” are less likely to volunteer and vote, with 17 percent of them saying they volunteered in the past year (compared to 27 percent of the religiously affiliated) and 39 percent saying they voted in 2022 (compared to 51 percent of religious Americans).
“Lower levels of civic engagement tend to be found especially among ‘nones’ who describe their religion as ‘nothing in particular’–not among atheists and agnostics,” Pew said. “For example, atheists and agnostics turned out to vote in 2022 at rates rivaling those seen among religiously affiliated adults. Those who describe their religion as ‘nothing in particular’ were the only subset of ‘nones’ with lower voter turnout than religiously affiliated people.”
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/avemario
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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