Myths about the unaffiliated

MYTHS ABOUT THE UNAFFILIATED

The share of Americans who do not identify with any religion has been rising by about 1 percentage point per year, on average, over the last 15 years. Is this rapid disaffiliation just a change in how people label themselves? Are most of the “nones” spiritual if not religious? How many come back to religion as they age? Is disaffiliation a universal, global phenomenon? Will it go on until there are no religious people left? Alan Cooperman will use data from Pew Research Center surveys and other studies to address some common misconceptions about the unaffiliated, as well as to offer insights into some of the most difficult and consequential questions about them.