{"id":69454,"date":"2024-01-24T09:50:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T14:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2024\/01\/24\/are-all-nones-nonbelievers\/"},"modified":"2024-12-20T13:40:34","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T18:40:34","slug":"are-all-nones-nonbelievers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/01\/24\/are-all-nones-nonbelievers\/","title":{"rendered":"4. Are all \u2018nones\u2019 nonbelievers?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Not all \u2018nones\u2019 are nonbelievers.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Far from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the \u201cnones\u201d include many nonbelievers, 70% of \u201cnones\u201d say they believe in God or another higher power, and 63% say they believe in spiritual forces beyond the natural world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, 19% of religious \u201cnones\u201d are strict nonbelievers who don\u2019t believe in God or any<\/em> higher power, don\u2019t believe humans have souls, don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything beyond the natural world, don\u2019t think there\u2019s a heaven and don\u2019t believe in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chart<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But 23% of \u201cnones\u201d say they believe in all<\/em> of the above. The rest either hold some of those beliefs and reject others (55%) or else don\u2019t answer enough of the questions to be able to classify the nature of their beliefs (3%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But \u2018nones\u2019 are much less<\/em> religious, on average, than religiously affiliated Americans.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

About three-in-ten religious \u201cnones\u201d say they pray with some regularity, but most \u201cnones\u201d don\u2019t. Fully 71% say they seldom or never pray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While about one-fifth of \u201cnones\u201d say religion is either very or somewhat important in their lives, four times as many say religion is not too or not at all important to them (81%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And very few \u201cnones\u201d say they attend religious services. Just 3% say they go to religious services once a month or more, while 97% go a few times a year or less (including 90% who say they seldom or never attend religious services).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On all these measures, religious \u201cnones\u201d are far less religious than Americans who identify with a religion. So religious \u201cnones\u201d don\u2019t just avoid or reject religious labels<\/em>. They also avoid or reject some common religious behaviors<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beliefs about God<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Seven-in-ten \u201cnones\u201d believe in God or a higher power of some kind, including 13% who say they believe in God \u201cas described in the Bible\u201d and 56% who say they don\u2019t<\/em> believe in God as described in the Bible but do<\/em> believe in some other higher power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About three-in-ten \u201cnones\u201d say they don\u2019t believe in God or any \u201chigher power or spiritual force in the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most agnostics (67%) and U.S. adults who describe their religion as \u201cnothing in particular\u201d (83%) say they believe in God or some kind of higher power. Among atheists, almost none say they believe in God as described in the Bible, but 22% say they do believe in some other higher power or spiritual force in the universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among \u201cnones,\u201d more men than women say they don\u2019t<\/em> believe in God or any higher power at all (36% vs. 21%). \u201cNones\u201d who are women are instead more likely than \u201cnones\u201d who are men to believe in a higher power other than God as described in the Bible (63% vs. 51%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is little difference across age groups in the share of \u201cnones\u201d who believe in any higher power. But there are some modest differences across age categories in the share who believe in God as described in the Bible, as opposed to some other kind of higher power. The youngest \u201cnones\u201d are more likely than the oldest \u201cnones\u201d to say they believe in a higher power other than<\/em> God as described in the Bible, while the oldest are more inclined than the youngest to believe in the biblical God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nine-in-ten Black \u201cnones\u201d and 81% of Hispanic \u201cnones\u201d believe in some higher power, but Black \u201cnones\u201d are more likely than Hispanic \u201cnones\u201d to say they believe in God as described in the Bible (34% vs. 19%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smaller majorities of both White and Asian \u201cnones\u201d (64% each) believe in a higher power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six-in-ten \u201cnones\u201d who are college graduates say they believe in a higher power, while 39% do not. Belief in a higher power is more common among \u201cnones\u201d with lower levels of formal education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Views on the existence of something spiritual beyond the natural world<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Overall, 63% of religious \u201cnones\u201d say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we can\u2019t see it, while 35% express the materialist perspective, saying the natural world is all there is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most atheists say the natural world is all that exists. But most agnostics and those who describe their religion as \u201cnothing in particular\u201d say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among \u201cnones,\u201d women are more likely than men to say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world (72% vs. 56%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Large majorities of \u201cnones\u201d who are Black or Hispanic believe there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we can\u2019t see it. Fewer White \u201cnones\u201d and Asian \u201cnones\u201d believe this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Religious \u201cnones\u201d who are college graduates are evenly divided between those who think there is something spiritual beyond the natural world (50%) and those who think the natural world is all there is (49%). By contrast, a clear majority of \u201cnones\u201d with less than a college education say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we can\u2019t see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beliefs about whether humans have a soul or spirit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roughly two-thirds of \u201cnones\u201d say they think humans have souls or spirits in addition to their physical bodies. This includes 60% of agnostics and 78% of U.S. adults whose religion is \u201cnothing in particular.\u201d By comparison, 31% of atheists believe a person has a soul or spirit in addition to a body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among \u201cnones,\u201d women are more likely than men to believe humans have souls or spirits. Black and Hispanic \u201cnones\u201d are more likely than White and Asian \u201cnones\u201d to believe this. And \u201cnones\u201d who have not completed college are more likely than college graduates to express this view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beliefs about heaven and hell<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Among religious \u201cnones,\u201d 36% say they believe in heaven and 29% say they believe in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half of those whose religion is \u201cnothing in particular\u201d believe in heaven, and 41% believe in hell. Far fewer atheists and agnostics believe in either heaven or hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNones\u201d who are women are far more likely than \u201cnones\u201d who are men to believe in heaven and hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black and Hispanic \u201cnones\u201d are each more likely to believe in heaven and hell than are White and Asian \u201cnones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among \u201cnones\u201d with a high school education or less, 55% say they believe in heaven, and 46% believe in hell. Far fewer \u201cnones\u201d with college experience believe in either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overall religious commitment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We often combine questions about rates of religious attendance, frequency of prayer and religious importance to categorize Americans by their level of \u201creligious commitment.\u201d Though these are not the only possible measures of religious commitment, combining these three is a helpful way to see if there are clear patterns of religious engagement across different parts of the population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this analysis, U.S. adults who say they attend religious services at least once a week, pray daily and consider religion to be very important in their lives are categorized as having high religious commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who say they seldom or never attend religious services, seldom or never pray, and consider religion to be not too or not at all important in their lives are categorized as having low religious commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone else \u2013 those who fall between the high category on one end and the low category on the other \u2013 are counted as having medium religious commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A majority of \u201cnones\u201d (64%) fall in the low commitment category, while 35% fall in the medium category. Just 1% of \u201cnones\u201d exhibit high levels of religious commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half of those who identify religiously as \u201cnothing in particular\u201d exhibit low levels of religious commitment, and 47% exhibit a medium level of religious commitment. Most atheists and agnostics have low religious commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are big differences in the religiousness of \u201cnones\u201d across racial categories. A clear majority of Black \u201cnones\u201d (69%) fall into the medium religious commitment category, making them the \u201cmost religious\u201d of all demographic groups analyzed. About half of Hispanic \u201cnones\u201d fall in the medium religious commitment category, while most White and Asian \u201cnones\u201d display low levels of religious commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Religious attendance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Very few \u201cnones\u201d attend religious services with any regularity. Fully 90% say they seldom (24%) or never (67%) attend religious services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are differences in rates of religious attendance by race and ethnicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About a quarter (24%) of Black \u201cnones\u201d say they attend religious services at least a few times a year, as do 16% of Hispanic \u201cnones.\u201d By contrast, just 6% of White \u201cnones\u201d and 8% of Asian \u201cnones\u201d report going to a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or other house of worship a few times a year or more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequency of prayer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Around seven-in-ten \u201cnones\u201d say they seldom or never pray. Roughly three-in-ten say they pray each day (13%) or on a weekly or monthly basis (16%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with most other religion measures, \u201cnones\u201d who identify as \u201cnothing in particular\u201d are far more likely to say they pray than atheists or agnostics. About one-fifth (19%) of adults in the \u201cnothing in particular\u201d category say they pray daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When looking at religious \u201cnones\u201d of different demographic backgrounds, Black Americans, women and those with lower levels of educational attainment are more likely than their counterparts to say they pray at least monthly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Religion\u2019s importance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Around eight-in-ten religious \u201cnones\u201d say religion is not too or not at all important in their lives, while 19% say religion is somewhat or very important to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNones\u201d who describe their religion as \u201cnothing in particular\u201d are more likely than atheists and agnostics to say religion is at least somewhat important to them. Still, even among those who identify as \u201cnothing in particular,\u201d most say religion is not too important or not at all important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly one-fifth of Black \u201cnones\u201d (19%) say religion is very important, while an additional 26% say it is somewhat important. This level of importance attributed to religion is much higher than for \u201cnones\u201d in other racial groups, particularly White and Asian \u201cnones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Return to the report\u2019s Overview<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find answers to other questions: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n