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The least religious regions of America
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In a twist of irony, New England states where the first pilgrims landed in search of religious freedom has become increasingly irreligious like the spiritually dark Pacific Northwest.
The American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) conducted by Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., reports that 22 percent of the survey's New England respondents claim no religious faith of any kind, the highest indicator of a nonreligious region in the nation.
But according to a recent Gallup poll Oregon rated 25 percent for those who claim no religious affiliation with Washington state not far behind. Though New England states such as New Hampshire and Vermont close behind, the Gallup poll shows that the Pacific Northwest continues to be the least religious region in a post-Christian America.
The absence of religious identity for Americans has doubled since the nineties according to national surveys. Region wise,
it's a close competition between eastern and west coast states for bragging rights to being the least religious. The ARIS survey claims that New England state survey participants averaged a 22 percent overall score on no religion while the Pacific Northwest lagged behind by two points.
The Oregonian reported last year about the ARIS study and Oregon losing it's distinctive lead as the most nonreligious sector of the nation. Not so fast, by all indications of the more recent Gallup poll.
One thing all polls agree on : Americans across the nation are losing their religion.
(AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
For More Information:
- Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Northwest, edited by Patricia O'Connell Killen and Mark Silk
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