In our survey, 49% of neutrals said they consider themselves spiritual or that being spiritual is very important in their life.
Additionally, 54% said they use self-centering, spending time in nature, meditation, exercise, and yoga to connect with something bigger than themselves, others, or their own “true self.” He says that he sometimes practices things like this.
A new study also found that almost “no one believes” that non-human animals can have spirits or spiritual energies. Many people also say this about cemeteries and other monuments, parts of nature such as mountains and rivers, and certain objects such as jewelry and stones. And 3 out of 10 people who “have nothing” either don’t own anything (jewelry, crystals, altars, etc.) or have body markings or piercings for spiritual purposes.
However, while many “nothings” exhibit spirituality in this way, these beliefs, practices, and identities tend not to be unique to “nothings.” Often people who identify with a religion tend to be just as spiritual, or even spiritual. more In this way, it is more spiritual than “nothing.”
For example, religiously involved adults are 30 percentage points more likely than nonreligious adults to consider themselves spiritual or to say that spirituality is very important in their lives ( 79% vs. 49%). And religiously unaffiliated Americans spend just as much time focusing on themselves or connecting to something bigger, to others, or to their own “true selves” as “non-religious” people. They are more likely to say they seek out and spend time in nature.
How many people are spiritually “nothing”?
We classify about half of America’s “apathetics” as spiritual because they answer “yes” to the question of whether they consider themselves spiritual or have no experience of spirituality in their lives. Because it is said to be very important.
By comparison, 79% of religiously involved adults are spiritual in this way.
Among people who have “nothing in particular,” most of those who describe their religion as “nothing in particular” are spiritual. Most agnostics and atheists don’t.
Most Black Nones (72%) are spiritual, as are 55% of Hispanic Nones. Very few white or Asian people say they are spiritual or that spirituality is very important in their lives.
None who are female are more likely to be spiritual than none who are male. Furthermore, those who are 50 years old or older are more likely to be spiritual than those who are under 30.
What does being “spiritual” mean to “nothingness”?
We asked all the spiritual people in our study a series of questions about what being spiritual meant to them.
Most spiritual people, whether they identify as “nothing” or do not belong to a religion, believe that connecting with something bigger than themselves is “essential” to what it means to be spiritual. It states that. Most people also say this about connecting with their “true self.”
However, the majority of spiritual “nones” say that being open-minded and connected to nature is an important part of what it means to be spiritual to them, but religious Less than half of spiritual people say so.
Most religious spiritual people say that a connection to God is essential to what it means to them to be spiritual, and half say that following a religious belief is essential to their spirituality. It is said that it is the core part. A spiritual “nobody” is much less likely to say these things.
Connecting with something beyond or connecting with someone who has passed away.
In our survey, 38% of “nobodies” said they had never experienced a “sudden or unexpected sense of connection to something beyond this world,” and 25% said they did so at least several times a year. They say they feel the presence of something beyond this world. .
Additionally, 35% of those who answered “none” said they had never experienced a strong feeling that the deceased was communicating with them.
Among “nothing” people, these experiences are more common among “nothing in particular” people than among atheists and agnostics.
A sense of connection to something beyond this world is more common among women than among men, and more among blacks and Hispanics than among whites and Asians.
the belief that spiritual energy exists in nature, animals, places, and objects
Six out of 10 people who answered “neutral” answered that they believed that animals other than humans have spirits and spiritual energy, but 54% said they believe that animals other than humans have spirits and spiritual energy, but 54% believe that animals other than humans have spirits and spiritual energy, but 54% believe that animals other than humans have spirits and spiritual energy. ), and 47% said the same about cemeteries, cemeteries, and spiritual energy. other monuments.
There are fewer “nos” who say that objects such as crystals, gemstones, and stones may have spiritual energy.
Atheists are less likely to believe that spiritual energies exist in animals, parts of nature, monuments, and objects than agnostics or people with “nothing in particular.”
And these beliefs are less common among “nobodies” who are men than among “nobodies” who are women.
The survey also found that the oldest “Nones” (65 and older) were less likely than younger “Nones” to believe that spirits inhabit animals, nature, places, and objects. did.
Possession and body markings for spiritual reasons
We also asked respondents if they had anything “for spiritual purposes.”
Among the “none” respondents, 16% have crystals for spiritual purposes, 15% own jewelry, 13% own a cross, 11% have a shrine, altar, or icon in their home, and 11% Respondents said they got tattoos or piercings for spiritual purposes.
People who are religiously involved are much more likely to say they carry a cross for spiritual purposes than “non-religious” people. Otherwise, the differences between “indifferent” and religiously involved people on these questions are fairly modest.
Return to the report overview.
Find answers to other questions.
- Who are the “none”? How are they defined? (Chapter 1)
- Why is “non-religious” not religious? (Chapter 2)
- Are “nobodies” less involved in civic life than religious people? (Chapter 3)
- Are all “unpeople” non-believers? (Chapter 4)
- Are “no-people” hostile to religion? (Chapter 6)
- How do “unmanned people” view science? (Chapter 7)
- What do “unmanned people” think about morality? (Chapter 8)
