Many people worldwide who say that they aren’t affiliated with any particular religion nonetheless have religious and spiritual views, including belief in an afterlife, according to new data from the Pew Research Center.
Half or more of the unaffiliated—what Pew calls the “nones”—surveyed in Peru (65%), Colombia (58%), Chile (57%), Brazil and Mexico (56%), Singapore (54%) and South Africa (50%) reported believing definitely or probably in life after death.
Among Americans, 42% of those unaffiliated with a religion believe an afterlife is at least probable, compared to 81% of Americans who are associated with a particular faith.
In all of the 22 countries—out of 36 surveyed—for which Pew collected ample data on the “nones,” those who are affiliated with a faith were likelier to believe in an afterlife.
Overall, a median of 28% of the unaffiliated in the 22 surveyed countries reported believing in God, with as many as 92% of Brazilians doing so, followed by Colombians (86%), Peruvians (83%), South Africans (77%) and Mexicans (76%). Some 45% of unaffiliated Americans reported believing in God.
According to Pew, a “growing number” of the religiously unaffiliated report being atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular” when asked about their faith.
The “nones” also reported some religious practices. Some 84% of Brazilian “nones” reported praying ever, followed by Colombians (83%), South Africans (77%), Peruvians (71%) and Americans (55%). Just 12% of Dutch “nones” reported praying. Overall, a median of 26% of “nones” in the 22 countries had prayed, and 13% say that they light incense or candles for religious or spiritual reasons.
Pew found that many of the “nones” in the 22 countries report having no particular faith, rather than being atheist or agnostic. In Japan, 51% of the 55% who are “nones” had no particular faith. Stateside, 19% of American “nones” had no particular faith, while 5% are atheist and 6% agnostic. (Pew told JNS that it lacked sufficient data about Israeli “nones” to include in the study.)
Greece and Italy were exceptions, with 8% of Greeks being atheists, 2% agnostics and 4% no particular faith; and 11% of Italians being atheists, 7% agnostic and 5% no particular faith.
Age played a factor as well, with those 18 to 39 likelier than older adults to say that they are “nones,” and men likelier than women to report being “nones.”
American “nones” were about middle of the pack among the 22 countries when it came to the degree to which they said religion was important to them. Some 53% of U.S. “nones” said religion was “not at all” important to them, 28% said “not too” important, and 15% said “somewhat.”
Australian “nones” were likeliest (80%) to say religion wasn’t at all important to them, followed by Swedish (76%), Hungarian (74%), French (72%), Canadian (69%), and Spanish, Greek and British (68%) “nones.”
In the United States, 70% of “nones” say that religious texts influence American laws, and 20% think that ought to be the case—the largest gap of any of the 22 countries.
