Atheism in the United States

American atheists
Total population
	56,000,000 (17%); (answered "No" to the question "Do you believe in God?"); (2017)[1]; 9,571,112 (3.1%); (self described atheists); (2014)[2][3]
Religions
	Irreligion:; (including antitheism, agnostic atheism, apatheism, casualism, counter-apologeticism, debaptism evangelical atheism, freethought/freethinker, ignosticism, implicit and explicit atheism, Marxist–Leninist atheism, negative and positive atheism, nonbeliever, nontheism, post-theism, rationalism, new/scientific atheism, physicalism,; metaphysical naturalism, logicalism,; secular humanism, skepticism, etc.); Secular religions:; Buddhism; (including secular Buddhism, etc.); Christian atheism; (including Cultural Christian (Cultural Catholic, Cultural Mormon, Nontheist Quakers, etc.), Lapsed Catholic, Recovering Catholic etc.); Ethical movement; Hinduism; (including Adevism, Charvaka, Hindu atheist, etc.); Jainism; Jewish atheism; (including Cultural Judaism, etc.); Modern Paganism; Muslim atheism; (including Cultural Muslim, etc.); New religious movements; (including Creativity, Raëlism, etc.); Parody religions; (including Church of Satan, Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster/Pastafarianism, Invisible Pink Unicorn, Jediism, LaVeyan Satanism, etc.); Satanism; Unitarian Universalism

A 2023 poll by the Pew Research Center found that 4% of Americans in the United States self-identified as atheists.[4] This is an increase from 3.1% of Americans in 2014.[3] However, in 2014, 9% of Americans agreed with the statement "Do not believe in God" while 2% agreed with the statement "Do not know if they believe in God".[3] According to a poll by non-profit PRRI in 2023, 4% of Americans were atheist and 5% were agnostic.[5] Polling by Gallup in 2022 showed that 17% of respondents replied "No" when asked "Do you believe in God?" in a binary fashion, but when worded differently in 2023, Gallup found that 12% of respondents replied they "Do not believe in" God and 14% replied they were "Not sure about" the existence of God.[6] According to Gallup, there are variations in their polling results because they ask about God in three different wordings, each with a different result.[7]

According to the 2014 General Sociological Survey, the number of atheists and agnostics in the U.S. grew over the previous 23 years. In 1991, only 2% identified as atheist, and 4% identified as agnostic; while in 2014, 3.1% identified as atheists, and 5% identified as agnostics.[8]

According to the 2008 ARIS, only 2% the US population was atheist, while 10% were agnostics.[9]

One 2018 research paper using indirect methods estimated that 26% of Americans are atheists, which is much higher than the 3%-11% rates that are consistently found in surveys.[10] However, methodological problems have been identified with this particular study; in particular, it has been posted that many people might not have a binary outlook to the question of the existence of God.[11]

Accurate demographics of atheism are difficult to obtain since conceptions of atheism and self-identification are context dependent by culture.[12] In 2009, Pew stated that only 5% of the US population did not have a belief in a god and out of that small group only 24% self-identified as "atheist", while 15% self-identified as "agnostic" and 35% self-identified as "nothing in particular".[13] In 2023, Pew stated that 23% of atheists believe in a higher power, but not a god.[14]

Demographics (2014)

Age

Lack of belief in god/gods among age groups in the United States (2014)
Age group	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
18-29 year olds	16	16	6	6	[3]
30-49 year olds	9	9	3	3	[3]
All Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
50-64 year olds	6	6	2	2	[3]
65+ year olds	6	6	2	2	[3]

Education

Lack of belief in god/gods among education in the United States (2014)
Highest degree earned	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
Post-graduate degree	14	14	5	5	[3]
College graduate	14	14	5	5	[3]
All Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
Some college	9	9	3	3	[3]
High school or less	6	6	2	2	[3]

Gender

Lack of belief in god/gods among genders in the United States (2014)
Gender	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
Male American	12	12	4	4	[3]
Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
Female American	6	6	2	2	[3]

Generation

Lack of belief in god/gods among generations in the United States (2014)
Generation	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
Younger Millennial Americans	17	17	6	6	[3]
Older Millennial Americans	13	13	4	4	[3]
Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
Generation X Americans	9	9	3	3	[3]
Greatest Americans	7	7	2	2	[3]
Baby Boomer Americans	6	6	2	2	[3]
Silent Americans	6	6	1	1	[3]

Household income

Lack of belief in god/gods among household income in the United States (2014)
Cohort	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
$100,000 or more, Americans	14	14	5	5	[3]
$50,000-$99,999, Americans	11	11	3	3	[3]
$30,000-$49,999, Americans	9	9	3	3	[3]
Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
Less than $30,000, Americans	7	7	2	2	[3]

Immigrant status

Lack of belief in god/gods among immigrant status in the United States (2014)
Generation	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
Second generation Americans	14	14	4	4	[3]
Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
Third generation or higher Americans	9	9	3	3	[3]
Immigrants	8	8	3	3	[3]

Marital status

Lack of belief in god/gods among marital status in the United States (2014)
Cohort	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
Never married Americans	15	15	5	5	[3]
Living with a partner Americans	14	14	5	5	[3]
Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
Married Americans	7	7	2	2	[3]
Divorced/separated Americans	6	6	2	2	[3]
Widowed Americans	3	3	1	1	[3]

Metro area

Lack of belief in god/gods/self described atheists among metro areas in the United States (2014)
State/federal district	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
Greater San Francisco Bay Area	21	21	5	5	[3]
Seattle metropolitan area	20	20	10	10	[3]
Boston metropolitan area	17	17	4	4	[3]
Providence metropolitan area	15	15	4	4	[3]
Baltimore metropolitan area	14	14	3	3	[3]
Philadelphia metropolitan area	13	13	5	5	[3]
Tampa metropolitan area	13	13	4	4	[3]
San Diego metropolitan area	12	12	3	3	[3]
Washington metropolitan area	12	12	4	4	[3]
Greater Los Angeles Area	11	11	4	4	[3]
New York metropolitan area	11	11	4	4	[3]
Phoenix metropolitan area	11	11	3	3	[3]
Chicago metropolitan area	10	10	3	3	[3]
Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
Detroit metropolitan area	9	9	3	3	[3]
Miami metropolitan area	9	9	3	3	[3]
Riverside metropolitan area	8	8	1	1	[3]
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex	7	7	1	1	[3]
Atlanta metropolitan area	6	6	3	3	[3]
Houston metropolitan area	6	6	2	2	[3]
St. Louis metropolitan area	6	6	3	3	[3]
Pittsburgh metropolitan area	5	5	3	3	[3]

Political affiliation

Lack of belief in god/gods among political affiliation in the United States (2014)
Political affiliation	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
Democrat/Lean Democrat Americans	13	13	5	5	[3]
Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
No lean, Americans	9	9	3	3	[3]
Republican/Lean Republican Americans	5	5	1	1	[3]

Parental status

Lack of belief in god/gods among parental status in the United States (2014)
Parental status	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
Non-parents of children under 18 year old Americans	10	10	3	3	[3]
Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
Parents of children under 18 year old Americans	7	7	2	2	[3]

Political ideology

Lack of belief in god/gods among political ideology in the United States (2014)
Political ideology	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
Liberal Americans	19	19	7	7	[3]
Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
Moderate Americans	9	9	3	3	[3]
Don't know, Americans	8	8			[3]
Conservative Americans	3	3	1	1	[3]

Race

Lack of belief in god/gods among racial groups in the United States (2014)
Racial group	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
Asian Americans	19	19	6	6	[3]
White Americans	11	11	4	4	[3]
Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
Other/Mixed Americans	8	8	2	2	[3]
Latino Americans	6	6	2	2	[3]
African Americans	2	2	1	1	[3]

Region

Lack of belief in god/gods/self described atheists among regions in the United States (2014)
State/federal district	% of lack of belief in god/gods		% of self described atheists		Source
Northeastern United States	12	12	4	4	[3]
Western United States	12	12	4	4	[3]
Americans	9	9	3.1	3.1	[3]
Midwestern United States	8	8	3	3	[3]
Southern United States	7	7	2	2	[3]

Religion

Lack of belief in god/gods among religious/belief groups in the United States (2014)
Religious group	% of lack of belief in god/gods		Source
Atheist Americans	92	92	[3]
Agnostic Americans	41	41	[3]
Nothing in particular (religion not important), Americans	33	33	[3]
Unaffiliated Americans	33	33	[3]
Buddhist Americans	27	27	[3]
New Age movement, Americans	21	21	[3]
Nothing in particular, Americans	20	20	[3]
Unitarians and other liberal faiths in "other faiths", Americans	19	19	[3]
Jewish Americans	17	17	[3]
Hindu Americans	10	10	[3]
Americans	9	9	[3]
Episcopalian (Mainline Protestant) Americans	4	4	[3]
Anglican Church, Americans	3	3	[3]
Episcopal Church, Americans	3	3	[3]
Nothing in particular (religion important), Americans	3	3	[3]
Eastern Orthodox Americans	3	3	[3]
Lutheran (Mainline Protestant) Americans	2	2	[3]
Mainline Protestant Americans	2	2	[3]
Nondenominational (Mainline Protestant) Americans	2	2	[3]
Roman Catholic Americans	2	2	[3]
Baptist (Mainline Protestant) Americans	1	1	[3]
Christian Americans	1	1	[3]
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Americans	1	1	[3]
Muslim Americans	1	1	[3]
Pentecostal (Evangelical Protestant) Americans	1	1	[3]
Presbyterian (Evangelical Protestant) Americans	1	1	[3]
Presbyterian (Mainline Protestant) Americans	1	1	[3]
Presbyterian Church in America, Americans	1	1	[3]
Presbyterian Church, Americans	1	1	[3]
United Church of Christ, Americans	1	1	[3]
United Methodist Church, Americans	1	1	[3]
Adventist (Evangelical Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
African Methodist Episcopal Church, Americans	<1		[3]
American Baptist Churches, Americans	<1		[3]
Assemblies of God, Americans	<1		[3]
Baptist (Evangelical Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
Baptist (Historically Black Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
Church of God, Americans	<1		[3]
Church of God in Christ, Americans	<1		[3]
Mormon, Americans	<1		[3]
Church of the Nazarene, Americans	<1		[3]
Churches of Christ, Americans	<1		[3]
Evangelical Protestant Americans	<1		[3]
Historically Black Protestant, Americans	<1		[3]
Holiness (Evangelical Protestant), Americans	<1		[3]
Independent Baptist (Evangelical Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
Interdenominational (Evangelical Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
Interdenominational (Mainline Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
Jehovah's Witness, Americans	<1		[3]
Lutheran (Evangelical Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, Americans	<1		[3]
Methodist (Historically Black Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
Mormon Americans	<1		[3]
National Baptist Convention, Americans	<1		[3]
Nondenominational (Evangelical Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
Nondenominational (Historically Black Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
Nondenominational charismatic Americans	<1		[3]
Nondenominational evangelical Americans	<1		[3]
Nondenominational fundamentalist Americans	<1		[3]
Pentecostal (Historically Black Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
Restorationist (Evangelical Protestant) Americans	<1		[3]
Seventh-day Adventist Americans	<1		[3]
Southern Baptist Convention, Americans	<1		[3]

Sexual orientation

Self described atheists among sexual orientations in the United States (2014)
Sexual orientation	% of self described atheists		Source
LGBT Americans	8	8	[3]
Americans	3.1	3.1	[3]
Straight Americans	3	3	[3]

State/federal district

Lack of belief in god/gods/self described atheists among states/local district in the United States (2014)
State/federal district	% of lack of belief in god/gods			% of self described atheists			Source
	# of population			# of population
Vermont	131,406	21	21	43,802	7	7	[3][2]
Massachusetts	1,178,573	18	18	327,381	5	5	[3][2]
Maine	212,538	16	16	26,567	2	2	[3][2]
New Hampshire	210,635	16	16	78,988	6	6	[3][2]
District of Columbia	84,241	14	14	24,069	4	4	[3][2]
Oregon	498,040	13	13	191,554	5	5	[3][2]
Washington	874,190	13	13	336,227	5	5	[3][2]
Alaska	85,228	12	12	35,512	5	5	[3][2]
California	4,470,475	12	12	1,490,158	4	4	[3][2]
Connecticut	427,834	12	12	178,264	5	5	[3][2]
Nevada	324,066	12	12	135,028	5	5	[3][2]
Wisconsin	682,438	12	12	170,610	3	3	[3][2]
New York	2,131,591	11	11	968,905	5	5	[3][2]
Idaho	172,434	11	11	31,352	2	2	[3][2]
New Mexico	226,510	11	11	61,775	3	3	[3][2]
Rhode Island	115,782	11	11	42,103	4	4	[3][2]
Arizona	639,202	10	10	191,761	3	3	[3][2]
Colorado	502,920	10	10	201,168	4	4	[3][2]
Florida	1,880,131	10	10	564,039	3	3	[3][2]
Indiana	648,380	10	10	194,514	3	3	[3][2]
Maryland	577,355	10	10	173,207	3	3	[3][2]
Pennsylvania	1,270,238	10	10	381,071	3	3	[3][2]
Hawaii	122,427	9	9	27,206	2	2	[3][2]
Illinois	1,154,757	9	9	384,919	3	3	[3][2]
Iowa	274,172	9	9	121,854	4	4	[3][2]
Michigan	889,528	9	9	296,509	3	3	[3][2]
Minnesota	477,353	9	9	159,118	3	3	[3][2]
Nebraska	164,371	9	9	18,263	1	1	[3][2]
United States	27,787,098	9	9	9,571,112	3.1	3.1	[3][2]
Montana	79,153	8	8	39,577	4	4	[3][2]
New Jersey	703,352	8	8	175,838	2	2	[3][2]
North Dakota	53,807	8	8	13,452	2	2	[3][2]
Utah	221,111	8	8	82,917	3	3	[3][2]
Virginia	640,082	8	8	160,020	2	2	[3][2]
Kentucky	303,756	7	7	173,574	4	4	[3][2]
Delaware	62,855	7	7	17,959	2	2	[3][2]
Kansas	199,718	7	7	57,062	2	2	[3][2]
North Carolina	667,484	7	7	190,710	2	2	[3][2]
Ohio	807,555	7	7	230,730	2	2	[3][2]
South Dakota	56,993	7	7	24,425	3	3	[3][2]
Georgia	581,259	6	6	193,753	2	2	[3][2]
Louisiana	272,002	6	6	90,667	2	2	[3][2]
Missouri	359,336	6	6	119,779	2	2	[3][2]
Texas	1,508,734	6	6	502,911	2	2	[3][2]
Wyoming	33,818	6	6	16,909	3	3	[3][2]
South Carolina	231,268	5	5	46,254	1	1	[3][2]
West Virginia	92,650	5	5	18,530	1	1	[3][2]
Arkansas	116,637	4	4	58,318	2	2	[3][2]
Mississippi	118,692	4	4	29,673	1	1	[3][2]
Tennessee	190,383	3	3	63,461	1	1	[3][2]
Alabama	95,595	2	2	47,797	1	1	[3][2]

Public officials

United States Representatives

Name	State	Position	Party	Term	Source
Pete Stark	California	United States Representative from California's 8th district, 9th district, 13th district	Democratic	1973–2013	[15]
Jared Huffman	California	United States Representative from California's 2nd district	Democratic	2013–present	[16]
Barney Frank	Massachusetts	United States Representative from Massachusetts's 4th district	Democratic	1981–2013	[17]

United States Senators

Photo	Name	State	Position	Party	Term	Source
	Thomas Gore	Oklahoma	United States Senator from Oklahoma	Democratic	1907–1921 1931, 1937	[18]
	Kyrsten Sinema	Arizona	United States Senator from Arizona	Independent	2019–	[19]

Governors

Photo	Name	State	Position	Party		Term	Source
	Culbert Olson	California	29th Governor of California	Democratic		1939–1943	[20]
	Jesse Ventura	Minnesota	38th Governor of Minnesota	Reform (1998-2000)	Independence (2000-2003)	1999–2003	[21]

State legislators

Name	State	Position	Party	Term	Source
Timothy Smith	New Hampshire	New Hampshire State Representative	Democratic	2012-Present	[22]
Culbert Olson	California	California State Senator	Democratic	1934–1938	[20]
Jared Huffman	California	California State Assembly, 2nd district	Democratic	2006–2012	[16]
Sean Faircloth	Maine	Maine Representative, 17th and 117th districts Maine State Senator	Democratic	1992–1994 2002–2008 1994–1996
Barney Frank	Massachusetts	Massachusetts State Representative, 5th and 8th Suffolk districts	Democratic	1973–1981	[17]
Ernie Chambers	Nebraska	Nebraska State Senator, 11th district	Independent	1971–2009 2013–2021	[23]
Megan Hunt	Nebraska	Nebraska State Senator, 8th district	Democratic	2019–present	[24]
Lori Lipman Brown	Nevada	Nevada State Senator	Democratic	1992–1994	[25]
Andrew Zwicker	New Jersey	New Jersey General Assembly, 16th District	Democratic	2016–present	[26]
Culbert Olson	Utah	Utah State Senator	Democratic	1916–1920	[20]

Mayors

Photo	Name	State	Position	Party	Term	Source
	Jesse Ventura	Minnesota	Mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota	Independent	1991–1995	[21]
	Rocky Anderson	Utah	33rd Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah	Democratic	2000–2008	[27]

City councils

Photo	Name	State	Position	Party	Term	Source
	Sean Faircloth	Maine	Chair of the City Council of Bangor	Democratic	2016–present
	Cecil Bothwell	North Carolina	City councilor of Asheville	Democratic	2009–2017

Political views

Views of atheists

A June–September 2014 Pew Research Center survey found that 69% of atheist Americans identity as Democratic or lean Democratic, 17% have no lean, 15% identify as Republican, 56% liberal, 29% moderate, 10% conservative, and 5% don't know. Among Americans who don't believe in god/gods, 65% identity as Democratic or lean Democratic, 17% have no lean, 18% identity as Republican, 50% liberal, 31% moderate, 13% conservative, and 6% don't know. That makes atheist and nonbelievers in god/gods Americans as belief groups to be the most politically liberal belief group in America and the least politically aligned belief group with Republicans and conservatism in the United States.[3]

Views about atheists

In 2014, a Pew survey found that 53% of Americans claimed they would be less likely to vote for a presidential candidate who was an atheist.[28]

Groups that include atheists

A October 2013 Public Religion Research Institute American Values Survey found 58% of American libertarians report they believe in a personal god, 25% believe god is an impersonal force in the universe, and 16% report that they do not believe in a god. It also found 73% of Americans who identify with the Tea Party report they believe in a personal god, 19% believe god is an impersonal force in the universe, and 6% report that they do not believe in a god. It also found 90% of white evangelical Protestants report they believe in a personal god, 8% believe god is an impersonal force in the universe, and less than 1% report that they do not believe in a god.[29]

List of atheist Americans

Organizations

References

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Hout, Michael; Smith, Tom (March 2015). "Fewer Americans Affiliate with Organized Religions, Belief and Practice Unchanged: Key Findings from the 2014 General Social Survey" (PDF). General Social Survey. NORC. The percentage answering 'no religion' was 21 percent in 2014, 20 percent in 2012, just 14 percent as recently as 2000, and only 8 percent in 1990." & "In 2014, 3 percent of Americans did not believe in God and 5 percent expressed an agnostic view; the comparable percentages were 2 percent and 4 percent in 1991. More people believed in a 'higher power' in 2014 (13%) than in 1991 (7%).
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Lipka, Michael; Tevington, Patricia; Starr, Kelsey (7 February 2024). "8 facts about Atheists". Pew Research Center. About three-quarters of U.S. atheists (77%) do not believe in God or a higher power or in a spiritual force of any kind, according to our summer 2023 survey. At the same time, 23% say they do believe in a higher power of some kind.
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"Jesse Ventura". NNDB.com. Retrieved 25 April 2012. Formerly a Lutheran, Ventura generally considers himself an atheist.
""Humanist PAC Marks Gains for Atheists and Freethinkers – and Hope for All Americans in Future Elections"". Freethought Equality. 2020. Retrieved Dec 20, 2020.
Hammel, Paul. "Ernie Chambers targets 'so help me God' in oaths". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
Gunz, Rafaella (May 11, 2019). "Meet Megan Hunt: bisexual single mom and first-term Nebraska state senator". Gay Star News. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
""You can be elected as an openly gay politician in this country, but you can't be elected as an openly atheistic one", said Lori Lipman Brown, who was hired last fall to be the Washington, D.C., lobbyist for an organization devoted to atheist causes, the Secular Coalition for America. She's believed to be the first paid lobbyist for the unbelievers in the nation's capital, the front lines of the culture wars. Now, all Brown is seeking is a constituency willing to go public. "Think of where the LGBT movement was 25 years ago", said Brown, who has worked on gay and lesbian rights issues as a legislator and attorney. "That's where atheists are today." [...] Brown, who is married and was raised a "humanistic Jew", talks about how she "came out" as an atheist several years ago, and how most atheists aren't "out yet" at work. She says atheist kids—like many gay children—are made to feel outcasts at school, and explains that she wants to erase the negative connotation to the word "atheist" just as homosexuals have reclaimed slurs like "queer" and "dyke."" Joe Garofoli, 'Atheists hoping to assert rights in religious era', San Francisco Chronicle, February 20, 2006 (accessed June 16, 2008).
"I'm an atheist, but I don't believe that science and religion are by definition incompatible." Andrew Zwicker, Reddit AMA, 13 May 2014 (accessed 9 November 2017).
voterocky.org
"For 2016 Hopefuls, Washington Experience Could Do More Harm than Good". Pew Research Center - U.S. Politics & Policy. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
"In Search of Libertarians in America" (PDF).

External links

Reality Check: Being Nonreligious in America 2020 report from American Atheists

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "Religion". 8 June 2007.

[2014_US_Census-2] Bureau, U.S. Census. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2017-03-22.

[Religious_Landscape_Study-3] "Religious Landscape Study". Pew Research Center. 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2018.

[4] Lipka, Michael; Tevington, Patricia; Starr, Kelsey (7 February 2024). "8 facts about Atheists". Pew Research Center.

[5] "Religious Change in America". PRRI. 27 March 2024.

[:0-6] Inc, Gallup (2007-06-08). "Religion". Gallup.com. Retrieved 2024-03-14. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)

[7] Saad, Lydia; Hrynowski, Zach (24 June 2022). "How Many Americans Believe in God?". Gallup.com. Gallup. The answer to how many Americans believe in God depends on how the question is asked. Gallup has measured U.S. adults' belief in God three different ways in recent years, with varying results.

[GSS_2014-8] Hout, Michael; Smith, Tom (March 2015). "Fewer Americans Affiliate with Organized Religions, Belief and Practice Unchanged: Key Findings from the 2014 General Social Survey" (PDF). General Social Survey. NORC. The percentage answering 'no religion' was 21 percent in 2014, 20 percent in 2012, just 14 percent as recently as 2000, and only 8 percent in 1990." & "In 2014, 3 percent of Americans did not believe in God and 5 percent expressed an agnostic view; the comparable percentages were 2 percent and 4 percent in 1991. More people believed in a 'higher power' in 2014 (13%) than in 1991 (7%).

[9] Kosmin, Barry; Keysar, Ariela (2009). "American Nones: The Profile of the No Religion Population" (PDF). Trinity College.

[10] Gervais, Will M.; Najle, Maxine B. (2018). "How many atheists are there?". Social Psychological and Personality Science. 9: 3–10. doi:10.1177/1948550617707015.

[11] Resnick, Brian (13 April 2017). "How many American atheists are there really?". Vox. Vox Media. Vox Media. Retrieved 22 April 2017.

[CambridgeZuckerman-12] Zuckerman, Phil (2007), "Atheism: Contemporary Rates and Patterns", Cambridge Companion to Atheism, pp. 47–66, doi:10.1017/CCOL0521842700.004

[13] "Not All Nonbelievers Call Themselves Atheists | Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project". Pewforum.org. 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2014-02-27.

[Pew_1-14] Lipka, Michael; Tevington, Patricia; Starr, Kelsey (7 February 2024). "8 facts about Atheists". Pew Research Center. About three-quarters of U.S. atheists (77%) do not believe in God or a higher power or in a spiritual force of any kind, according to our summer 2023 survey. At the same time, 23% say they do believe in a higher power of some kind.

[PeteStark-15] Stark called himself "a Unitarian who does not believe in a supreme being" and has been identified as an atheist. Rep. Stark applauded for atheist outlook: Believed to be first congressman to declare nontheism, Associated Press, March 13, 2007 (Accessed June 15, 2007)

[This_lawmaker_isn’t_sure_that_God_exists._Now,_he’s_finally_decided_to_tell_people.-16] "lawmaker isn't sure that God exists. Now, he's finally decided to tell people". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2019-04-06.

[BarneyFrank-17] Wong, Curtis (2013-08-09). "Barney Frank's 'Pot-Smoking Atheist' Revelation Discussed On 'The Rubin Report'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-08-09.

[ThomasGore-18] "FFRF & Tulsa nontheists salute Gore as first atheist senator". September 7, 2010.

[19] "Democrat Senator Kyrsten Sinema takes oath on U.S. Constitution instead of Bible - National | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2021-07-26.

[CulbertOlson-20] The Hon. Atheist Governor: Culbert L. Olson Archived 2008-09-23 at the Wayback Machine

[JesseVentura-21] "Jesse Ventura". NNDB.com. Retrieved 25 April 2012. Formerly a Lutheran, Ventura generally considers himself an atheist.

[22] ""Humanist PAC Marks Gains for Atheists and Freethinkers – and Hope for All Americans in Future Elections"". Freethought Equality. 2020. Retrieved Dec 20, 2020.

[23] Hammel, Paul. "Ernie Chambers targets 'so help me God' in oaths". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.

[24] Gunz, Rafaella (May 11, 2019). "Meet Megan Hunt: bisexual single mom and first-term Nebraska state senator". Gay Star News. Retrieved June 7, 2021.

[25] ""You can be elected as an openly gay politician in this country, but you can't be elected as an openly atheistic one", said Lori Lipman Brown, who was hired last fall to be the Washington, D.C., lobbyist for an organization devoted to atheist causes, the Secular Coalition for America. She's believed to be the first paid lobbyist for the unbelievers in the nation's capital, the front lines of the culture wars. Now, all Brown is seeking is a constituency willing to go public. "Think of where the LGBT movement was 25 years ago", said Brown, who has worked on gay and lesbian rights issues as a legislator and attorney. "That's where atheists are today." [...] Brown, who is married and was raised a "humanistic Jew", talks about how she "came out" as an atheist several years ago, and how most atheists aren't "out yet" at work. She says atheist kids—like many gay children—are made to feel outcasts at school, and explains that she wants to erase the negative connotation to the word "atheist" just as homosexuals have reclaimed slurs like "queer" and "dyke."" Joe Garofoli, 'Atheists hoping to assert rights in religious era', San Francisco Chronicle, February 20, 2006 (accessed June 16, 2008).

[26] "I'm an atheist, but I don't believe that science and religion are by definition incompatible." Andrew Zwicker, Reddit AMA, 13 May 2014 (accessed 9 November 2017).

[27] voterocky.org

[28] "For 2016 Hopefuls, Washington Experience Could Do More Harm than Good". Pew Research Center - U.S. Politics & Policy. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2020.

[29] "In Search of Libertarians in America" (PDF).

Irreligion
Irreligion	Antireligion Anti-clericalism Criticism of religion Freethought Parody religion Secular humanism Secularism
Atheism	Demographics Religion History State New Criticism Discrimination/Persecution Implicit and explicit Negative and positive Existence of God Antitheism
Agnosticism	Strong Weak Agnostic atheism Apatheism
People	Atheists Agnostics Humanists
Books	The Age of Reason Breaking the Spell The Demon-Haunted World The End of Faith The God Delusion God Is Not Great Letter to a Christian Nation The System of Nature Why I Am Not a Christian Why I Am Not a Muslim Why I Am an Atheist
Organizations	American Atheists American Humanist Association Atheist Alliance International Center for Inquiry Freedom From Religion Foundation Humanists International Humanists UK Rational Response Squad Recovering from Religion Brazilian Association of Atheists and Agnostics
Related topics	Countries by irreligion

Irreligion in North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands

United States state-related lists
List of states and territories of the United States
Demographics	Population African American Amish Asian Birth and death rates Density Hispanic and Latino Historical Household income Immigration LGBT Non-Hispanic white Pacific Islander Spanish-speaking Educational attainment Largest cities by population Median age Most popular given names Most populous counties Net migration Populated places Population density (cities) Race/ethnicity Religiosity Irreligion
Economy	Billionaires Budgets Companies Credit ratings Employment rates Exports and imports Federal tax revenue Federal taxation and spending Gross domestic product Growth rate Per capita Income Inequality Median home prices Median wages Millionaire households Minimum wages Poverty rates R&D spending Sales taxes Savings rate Socioeconomic factors Sovereign wealth funds State income taxes Unemployment rates Union affiliation Vehicles per capita
Environment	Botanical gardens Carbon dioxide emissions Parks National Natural Landmarks National Wildlife Refuges Nature centers Electricity (Renewable) Superfund sites Wilderness areas
Geography	Area Bays Beaches Coastline Elevation Extreme points Forest Geographic centers Highest cities Islands Lakes Mountains Regions Volcanoes
Government	Agriculture commissioners Attorneys general Capitals Capitol buildings Comparison Congressional districts Members Counties Alphabetical List Courts Governors Lieutenant governors Legislatures Libraries and archives Official languages Poets laureate Politics by state or territory Political party strength State auditors State legislators Alabama–Missouri Montana–Wyoming State senators State secretaries of state State speakers State chief justices State presidents pro tempore State superintendents of education State supreme courts State treasurers Statewide elected executive officials
Health	Changes in life expectancy, 1985–2010 Fertility rates Hospitals Human Development Index American Human Development Index Life expectancy Infant mortality rates Obesity rates Road deaths Smoking
History	Date of statehood Name etymologies Historical societies Museums National Historic Landmarks National Register of Historic Places State partitions Historic regions
Law	Abortion Age of consent Alcohol Dry communities Alford plea Cell phone use while driving Constitutions Firearms Firearms death rates Gun Violence Homicide Rate Law enforcement agencies Legality of cannabis Peace Index Prisons Incarceration rate Same-sex unions Former constitutional bans Marriage law Seat belt laws Self-representation Smoking bans Speed limits (by jurisdiction) Statutory codes Violent Crime Rate
Miscellaneous	Abbreviations Airports Bus transit systems Casinos Cemeteries Demonyms Flags Hotels Insignia Coats of arms License plates Malls Mottos Newspapers Nicknames Numbered highways Quarters 50 states District of Columbia and territories America the Beautiful quarters Snowiest places Symbols Tallest buildings Temperature extremes Time zones
Category Commons Portals

Religion in North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands