Sociologists at Baylor University have released research suggesting that the doubling of the number of Americans counting themselves as non-religious since 1990 may be incorrect by some 10 million people, or the difference between 14% and 10.8%.

Key to the research was a quirk in the data: a tenth of those who chose "no religion" out of 40 possible choices also entered a place of worship when prompted. Survey coauthor Kevin D. Dougherty said, "People might not have a denomination, but they have a congregation. They have a sense of religious connection that is formative to who they are."

(It seems other possibilities might include a non-religious person attending religious services with a loved one or spouse despite a lack of belief or interest in the service.)

The survey also found that those not espousing a particular religious belief were also less likely to be affiliated with a particular political party, though they also tended to vote more liberally. In addition, those who imagined God as "engaged and punishing" tended to be poorer, less-educated white evangelicals from the South, whereas those who believe in a "distant and nonjudgmental" God are more likely to support more liberal causes like environmental protection and even distribution of wealth, according to the Washington Post.

The percentage of those professing atheism remains controversial. The American Atheists claim thirty million Americans are atheists. Others believe that because of the stigma associated with atheism in the US, the percentage may be underreported. Still more people may attend church rarely or infrequently without the religion they practice out of habit actually affecting their lives.

---Nick

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