The Pew Research Center recently published a report that is the result of a comprehensive study that focuses on analyzing the portion of the U.S. population that has no religious affiliation, often referred to as “Nones”. About 28% of adults in the United States identify as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular”. The study explores the beliefs, attitudes, and civil profile of these “Nones” compared to religious people.

Among the main points, it is noteworthy that Latinos represent 17% of the “nones” population, being the second largest group, behind whites (63%) and ahead of blacks (9%) and Asians (7%). The share of Latinos who consider themselves atheists comprises 9 percent of atheists, while 20 percent identify as agnostics, and the majority, 63 percent, chose the “nothing in particular” category. Whites are overrepresented among atheists, at 77 percent, while blacks and Asians make up only 2 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

When looking at Latinos who identify with some religion, it is observed that they are disproportionately Catholic, making up 35 percent of the country’s parishioners, while they are underrepresented in other religious groups, especially among Protestants (9 percent).

Latin “Nones”, in particular, have characteristics such as belief in God or some higher power, but they rarely attend religious services. Most see religion as something that does some harm, but they also recognize that it can do some good. In addition, they express more positive views of science compared to religious Americans.

Reasons for the lack of religious affiliation among the “Nones” include questioning religious teachings, non-belief in God, and criticism of religious institutions or people. About 47% mention that a significant reason for not being religious is dislike of religious organizations. Despite their lack of affiliation, most "Nones" were raised in some religion, most notably Christianity, but tend to distance themselves from religious institutions over time.

It's important to note that when asked how the “nones” view science, “Most ‘nones’ say science does more good than harm in American society, and on average ‘nones’ are much more positive about science than are religiously affiliated people. At the same time, most ‘nones’ believe there are limits to what science can do. For example, 44% of “nones” say there is a scientific explanation for everything, while 56% say there are some things science can’t possibly explain”.

To access the comprehensive data from the study, the report is at the link above.

“Much of the analysis in this report comes from a Pew Research Center survey conducted July 31-Aug. 6, 2023, among 11,201 respondents who are members of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP). The survey included interviews with 3,317 religious ‘nones’ (658 atheists, 678 agnostics and 1,981 respondents who describe their religion as ‘nothing in particular’). In addition to the July 31-Aug. 6, 2023, survey, this analysis also draws on a variety of other ATP surveys conducted in recent years, as well as on the Center’s National Public Opinion Reference Surveys (NPORS)”.