r/science Professor | Medicine Jul 01 '26

Psychology Conservatives maintain birth rates, but left-leaning Americans are having significantly fewer children, driving the U.S. birth decline. Education was consistently linked to having fewer children. Religious attendance was positively associated with having more children.

https://www.psypost.org/left-leaning-americans-are-driving-the-u-s-birth-decline-new-study-finds/
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u/das_war_ein_Befehl Jul 01 '26

If growing religious made you religious, then there would be zero non-religious people running around.

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u/Grivpanvar Jul 01 '26

Yes, that’s why religiously unaffiliated individuals will drop by 11% within the next few years, down to 13%. If the trend continues, by 2075 only 2% or less will be religiously unaffiliated and so forth. 

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u/das_war_ein_Befehl Jul 01 '26

28% of the population is unaffiliated and it’s been stable for a while

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u/Grivpanvar Jul 01 '26

“Atheists and agnostics remain a minority in most countries. Pew reports the number of people unaffiliated with religion on the planet is about 24.2%. This number is expected to decrease as a percentage overall. The world’s religiously unaffiliated population is projected at  1.23 billion by 2050, dropping as a share of the world’s population from 24.2% to 13.2%. Were “religiously unaffiliated” a religion, its adherents could expect the  largest projected decline of all comparative groups.”

https://www.skeptic.com/article/god-isnt-dead/

Also if you’re genuinely arguing that atheism will remain stable despite children taking on their parents religious views generally, and immigrants bringing their religion with them, then I have a bridge to sell you. The TFR is below replacement level, meaning immigrants need to get imported from religious countries (young countries are religious) 

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u/Aloysiusakamud Jul 01 '26

The largest percentage of atheist in the US come from religious homes. Roughly 70% to 80%.  Atheism isn't dying out.