026 // The rise of "religious nones"

Kathryn Exon Smith -

Almost a quarter of American and Canadian adults are nonreligious, while teens and young adults are even less likely to identify religiously. Who are the "religious nones"? Why, and where, is this population growing? How does support for science affect religiosity?

This salon will explore how a nonreligious identity impacts a variety of aspects of daily life in the US and Canada in sometimes similar and sometimes different ways, offering insights to illuminate societal and political trends. With numbers of nonreligious people even higher in Canada than in the US, some believe that secular currents to the north foreshadow what will happen in the US.

Joel is Professor of Sociology at Ambrose University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is the author of The Meaning of Sunday: The Practice of Belief in a Secular Age and co-author of The Millennial Mosaic: How Pluralism and Choice are Shaping Canadian Youth and the Future of Canada.

Sarah is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

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This salon took place May 8, 2020.