All posts tagged: religiously unaffiliated

The US is the only country where most say fellow citizens’ morality is bad, survey finds

The US is the only country where most say fellow citizens’ morality is bad, survey finds

(RNS) — Out of 25 countries, the United States was the only one where most people said their fellow citizens’ morality was generally bad, new research has found. A Pew Research Center report examining morality and ethics, released on Thursday (March 5), also found self-identified Christians are more likely to view abortion, using marijuana, homosexuality, having extramarital affairs and other behaviors as “morally unacceptable” than other religious groups. The report marks the first time Pew researchers asked respondents about their views on the morality of their fellow citizens. In total, more than half of American adults – 53% – said the morality and ethics of people in their country were somewhat bad or very bad, while 47% rated their morality as good or very good, according to the study. Still, the findings “don’t support that Americans are overarchingly more judgmental or moralistic than in other countries” based on responses to other questions, Jonathan Evans, senior researcher at Pew, told RNS on Wednesday. Partisan politics seems to play a role in Americans’ response to that question. …

Why fewer Latin Americans claim religion — but still pray and believe

Why fewer Latin Americans claim religion — but still pray and believe

(RNS) — The number of Latin Americans who say they are not affiliated with a religion has long been steadily increasing. And over the past decade, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, the percentage of those known as “nones” roughly doubled in Argentina (to 24% in 2024), Brazil (15%) and Chile (33%); tripled in Mexico (20%) and Peru (12%); and almost quadrupled in Colombia (23%). But for many, that label doesn’t mean a rejection of faith. Across Brazil, Colombia and beyond, people continue to pray, meditate and participate in rituals drawing from Christian, Indigenous, African and Eastern traditions in deeply personal ways, so-called nones told RNS. Their beliefs and practices may reveal a blind spot of such surveys in how they rely on Christian and Western frameworks to define what counts as religion.  For Camile Coutinho, a 28-year-old dietitian who lives near Rio de Janeiro, a typical week involves attending a Sunday service at a Baptist church, taking part in ritual baths and cowrie-shell divination with a Umbanda priestess, and going to Deeksha …

Catholicism continues sharp decline in Latin America

Catholicism continues sharp decline in Latin America

(RNS) — Over the last decade, Catholicism has continued to decline sharply in Latin America, as the share of adults who are religiously unaffiliated rises, according to a new survey looking at religiosity in six countries. The survey, fielded in 2024 and released Wednesday (Jan. 21) by the Pew Research Center, studied Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru and found declining rates of Catholicism in every country. Colombia saw the largest drop, where 6 in 10 (60%) adults identified as Catholic in 2024 compared with 8 in 10 (79%) in the 2013-2014 survey. The smallest drop in Catholicism was in Peru — the country where Pope Leo served for more than two decades before being elected pope — with a 9-point decrease over the decade between surveys (76% in 2013-2014 down to 67% in 2024). Meanwhile, the survey found the religiously unaffiliated nearly doubled or saw even larger gains in every country. In Brazil, where the gains were the smallest, the unaffiliated grew from 8% to 15% of the population. In Peru, 12% of …