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Are the “Nones” Losing Steam? New Study Says the Movement Has Plateaued

Are the “Nones” Losing Steam? New Study Says the Movement Has Plateaued

The rise of the “nones”—Americans who claim no religious affiliation—has been one of the most talked-about rising trends in recent years. But according to new data, the trend might not be rising anymore.

In the 2024 State of the Bible report from the American Bible Society, researchers found that 26% of Americans claim no religious identity, a percentage that hasn’t budged since 2022.

The rise of the nones has been rapid. In the early 1970s, only 5% of Americans identified as such, and by the mid-90s, that number had grown to 12%. A decade ago, the nones crossed the 20% threshold. However, despite the quick growth of this group over the last few decades, it seems the nones are no longer on the rise.

According to the report, some of this growth could be attributed to what’s called a “social desirability bias.” Back in the day, it was more respectable to claim a religious affiliation, so non-religious people might have fudged their answers. Today, there’s no stigma attached to not being religious, so people are more comfortable identifying as none. But this only explains a small part of the massive fivefold increase we’ve seen over the last 50 years.

So who exactly are the nones? They tend to be younger, more likely male, and often live in cities. They’re also more likely to have higher levels of education and income. And, interestingly, not all nones are entirely closed off to faith. Around a quarter of them say they’re curious about the Bible or Jesus, while another quarter feel neutral on the topic.

However, 40% are actively hostile toward the Bible, and only 10% say they have any sort of personal relationship with Jesus. But ABS believes that this is an opportunity for the Church to step up and provide answers.

“One of the things that we think is really useful in ministering to people with no religious affiliation is just to recognize that they’re not against you,” said John Plake, chief innovation officer for ABS. “And they’re not against the church, God, or the Bible. They’re in this place in between. It’s this liminal place in between for a lot of Americans, and that gives us hope that we can reach out to those people and we can communicate the Gospel clearly and biblically.”

© 2023 RELEVANT Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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