Mapping Religious Nones in the World

Religious non-affiliation is an increasingly discussed topic. The report “Mapping Religious Nones in 112 Countries” uses European Values Study and World Values Survey data to analyze socio-demographic characteristics, geographical distribution, and religiosity of non-affiliated respondents between 1981 and 2020. In four decades nones doubled at a global level reaching 25.9% – 21.7% in non-European countries – and triplicated in Europe with 30.2%. On average, non-affiliation is more common among male, young and highly educated respondents living in densely populated areas. Particular attention is dedicated to religious beliefs, attendance of religious services and relevance attributed by religious nones to God in their everyday life.

In the wider context of ‘religion and innovation’, critical questions in sociology of religion overlap with upcoming issues faced by policymakers in the rapidly evolving field of AI and Big Data. This convergence underline the importance of a multidisciplinary and critical approach to religion for social, political and technological development of trustworthy AI.

Percentuale di ‘religious nones’ in 112 paesi, EVS/WVS (1981-2020)