According to a survey by Pew Research, more Americans are leaving religion, amid the pandemic. The latest data suggests three out of every ten Americans are now religiously unaffiliated, which is a significant rise from last decade’s numbers.
Americans are going towards atheism by denouncing organized religion
Since the onslaught of the 21st century, Americans have been assertive in denouncing religion; the trend is continuing in the pandemic as well.
Those who did not affiliate themselves with any religion are called religious “nones.” In 2007, only 16 percent of Americans asserted they were “religious nones,” but these numbers have doubled in almost 15 years.
Different sociologists opined along different lines for growing non-religious trends. While some sociologists believe not being religious is more acceptable now, compared to earlier times, others assert delaying marriage helped people in denouncing religion.
Among those leading the efforts of rejecting religion in the United States is the youth, as a survey done in July found out that over one-third of individuals under the age of 30 are unaffiliated.
Americans are leaving their religions at a faster rate than ever before, and that means more are looking for help with the transition.https://t.co/m3qgQk4y4z
— The Thinking Atheist (@ThinkingAtheist) December 13, 2021
In the last decade, the number of unaffiliated people has increased by ten percentage points, as only 19 percent of the US population in 2011 was non-religious, compared to 29 percent this year.
Among the most practicing religions, Christianity still tops the chart among Americans, with 45 percent of them claiming they pray daily, a decline from 58 percent in 2007.
Likewise, almost 41 percent of Americans admitted religion has a “very important” role in their lives, compared to 56 percent in 2007.
More Americans are opening up about their religious affiliations
Within Christianity, Protestants are facing a sharp decline, as nearly 10 percent fewer people identify as Protestant than a decade ago. On the other hand, the trend of Catholics remains steady.
A professor of American democracy at the University of Notre Dame, David Campbell, noted many people are leaving religion, due to the current political system of the country.
Thus, for David, those who are getting fed up with the political environment are also leaving organized religion. While Christianity keeps declining in America, no other religion got a significant boost in the country.
For instance, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists all account for one percent each in America and their numbers have not increased significantly. However, atheists and agnostics have doubled over the last ten years, both of which are majorly converted from Christianity.
More Americans than ever are leaving the church. “If the unaffiliated were a religion, they’d be the largest religious group in the United States.” #GoodWithoutGod https://t.co/39n3SKfCkd
— Betty Borsalino (@BettyBorsalino) December 14, 2021
A faculty member of political science at Eastern Illinois University noted the cultural shift is encouraging people to admit they denounced religion. He added people were non-religious in the past as well, but now it is more culturally acceptable, so more Americans are open about it.
One of the surveys of PRRI this summer indicated the number of religiously unaffiliated people decreased, but Pew Research suggests otherwise.
