In the UK, we have a census every 10 years that tries to collect detailed information about the population. The last census was in 2011 and contained an optional question: what is your religion? The number who said they had no religion was 14.1 million which equals 25% of the population of England and Wales. This is a rise from the 2001 census where 15% of the population (of England and Wales) said they had no religion.
There was a decline in the number of people who called themselves Christian and a rise in all other minority religions.
Here's a very informative short video (4 mins) from the Office of National Statistics in the UK examining religion in England and Wales from the 2011 census.
Just because one does not have a religion does not make them atheist.
I have no religion and yet I am not an atheist.
It is a matter of semantics.
If you believe a God exists and reject that it can be known through religion, that would make you a deist
Unfortunately the label Atheist, has some pretty negative connotations to some people in the US.
The questions I'd really like to see: "Do your religious beliefs have an impact on your decision making" "Do you have full confidence in the core tenets of your religion" "How important is it to you to observe Religious rules?"
PS. Interesting stat, 40% of Americans claim to attend church regularly. But only 20% of Americans actually attend regularly. People often respond to polls with a more ideal version of reality. http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_rate.htm
I live in a secularized country, where identifying as an Atheist is fairly common. I am curious regarding the "negative connotations" you mentioned. Which are they, and should I avoid revealing that I identify as Atheist when I travel to the US?
Realize I'm talking about a small minority, but they're also vocal. I doubt you will encounter them in tourist areas. In tourist areas people are more interested in your money then your religion, it just won't come up.
But in casual conversation with strangers, I personally identify as "Not Religious" instead of "Atheist". For some reason the term Atheist carries extra baggage in US.
For me, some American and a few European atheists appear to be as devout as the most strongly religious people I know. They are judgemental of others' beliefs, are absolutely convinced that their views are correct and disparage anyone who is even open or agnostic towards philosophical questions like whether there could be anything external to the Universe. These people dismiss any branch of rationality that is not directly measurable or quantifiable, and on one occasion I had to correct one by saying "yes, philosophy does actually serve a purpose, as a guide for which scientific questions we should tackle next".
That's a negative connotation I get when I meet someone who goes out of their way to let me know they're atheist. (This is a generalization which of course needs to be carefully balanced).
There are students who, having been excluded from school prayers at the behest of their atheist parents, are ostracized by the town.
There has never been an (openly) non-religious President. (And a single digit number of non-Protestant Presidents.)
A political candidate's piety, or lack thereof, is fair game for a political smear campaign.
Of course, reactions vary greatly depending on where you are. Coastal urban areas are generally much more atheist-friendly; an open atheist will, at worst, simply be looked down on by the pious. The inland "Bible belt", not so much. Atheism = devil worship, and exorcisms are a thing that are still performed.
(I've spent lots of time in Midwest areas that are well described as 'very Christian' and it simply isn't something that comes up. People certainly aren't talking about any exorcisms they have going on. I guess much of that time has accidentally been in areas with lots of Catholics and lots of not so evangelical protestants.)
If I'm not mistaken, that number is 1 (JFK).
(Also live in a country where having no religion is the norm and there are probably more negative connotations for identifying as religious.)
If you have to ask like that, you'd best put nothing.
It doesn't answer the question, but Wikipedia has some interesting information on "irreligion" in the US.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irreligion_in_the_United_States
The Global Religious Landscape Report has some interesting figures for the world population. Religiously unaffiliated was the third largest reported/identified group in the survey at 16.3% just barely nudging out Hinduism at 15%.[3]
[1] http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/religiously-unaffiliated/ Growth in US Specifically http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise/ and http://www.pewforum.org/2013/07/02/growth-of-the-nonreligiou...
[2] Page 50 http://www.pewforum.org/files/2014/01/global-religion-full.p...
[3] http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscap...
Pulled from the General Social Survey, which is an absolute goldmine of interesting stuff like this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irreligion_in_the_Czech_Republ...
[corrected per namenotrequired's comment]
I'm currently reading a book[1] by theologian/philosopher David Bentley Hart that shames to ground sentences like this. Also the idea that modernity is somehow superior to previous ages in regard to tolerance and reason. Nothing further from the truth.
[1] http://www.amazon.com/Atheist-Delusions-Christian-Revolution...
It seems that he doesn't claim in this book that religions monopoly isn't diminishing but rather reaffirms this fact at the same time expressing his opinion that it's bad.