CAIRO — Americans who don't identify with any religion have turned from a fringe group to a national trend as their number continues to climb and their presence spreads among the America’s diverse population landscape, a new US study has found. “The growth of the Nones is a national phenomenon,” the study, “American Nones: The Profile of the No Religion Population”, released by Trinity College on Tuesday, September 22, affirmed, referring to Americans who say they subscribe to no religion.
“They are the only group that increased in every state and region of the country during the past 18 years.”
Answering atheists Concerning God Faith and Trust in Allah The researchers found that it had grown from 8.2 percent in 1990 to 14.2 percent in 2001 and to 15 percent in 2008. They affirmed that in the future, the US can expect to have even more Nones and that would mark a new age of “nonreligious boom” as the 1990s was the decade of the “secular boom.”
“If current trends continue, the likely outcome is that in two decades, the Nones could account for about one-quarter of the US population.” Professor Ryan Cragun of the University of Tampa who co-conducted the study said.
The Unites States has a population of more than 301 million.
According to the CIA Fact Book, Protestant make up 52 percent, Roman Catholic 24, Mormon 2, Jewish 1, Muslim 1, other 10 and none 10 percent.
Experts have affirmed that atheist movements are mushrooming and gathering new followers across the United States.
Some believe that atheist organizations have flourished in recent years fed by outrage over the former George W. Bush administration’s embrace of the religious right and its religion-colored policies.
Others refer the phenomenon to a spate of anti-religion books which flooded the market during the former administration.
Diverse
Identifying the “Nones”, the study says that they should not be misunderstood as the small minority of atheists.
“They are the irreligious, the unreligious, the anti-religious, and the anti-clerical. Some believe in God; some do not. Some may participate occasionally in religious rituals; others never will.”
The study also noted that the most significant finding is that “Nones” Largely mirror mainstream America.
“Today, there is not a single demographic group in the U.S. that does not include Nones,” it says.
“They exist among the married, widowed, divorced, and never married. Nones are Democrats, Republicans and independents.
“They are among the least educated and the most educated. They are among the rich and the poor. They can be white, black, Latino or Asian.”
Most Nones are first generation as only 32 percent of current Nones report they had no religion at age 12.
Trinity Professor Barry Kosmin says that the most important and statistically significant finding was the relatively large gender gap, as American women remain more religious than men.
“The overall trend is being pushed by men and the young but slowed down by women’s greater religiosity.”
Source: IslamOnline
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