Spiritual Yearning in an Age of Secularization

David McPherson reports that the rise of religiously unaffiliated individuals in the United States has plateaued in recent years. While approximately 25 to 30 percent of Americans now identify as nonreligious, this figure is a significant increase from the 1 to 2 percent recorded in 1948.

Sociologists of religion Stephen Bullivant, Joel Thiessen, and Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme refer to this group as the Nones because they select none when asked for a religious affiliation in formal surveys. McPherson observes that many people, including those who identify as nonreligious, continue to acknowledge spiritual yearnings.