Nones with religious identities: characteristics of those who select both religious and nonreligious identities

Abstract

Survey research tends to classify individuals as either having a religious identity or having a nonreligious identity/no religious identity. This binary is a function of religious identity questions typically only allowing for a single response. In this study we used unique data from the US Multi-Faith Identities Survey of 2023 which allowed individuals to select as many religious or nonreligious identities that apply to them. We found that a meaningful proportion of individuals who selected a nonreligious identity also selected a religious identity, to which we refer as a hybrid identity. We hypothesized socialization, sympathy, example-setting, and social sanctions as social mechanisms affecting the probability of having a hybrid identity. Our analyses found, in part, that these hybrid identities are more likely to identify as agnostic and less likely to identify as atheist than individuals exclusively reporting nonreligious identities and more likely to identify as a Buddhist, Pagan or Wiccan than individuals exclusively reporting religious identities. We also found some support for our theorized social mechanisms. These findings nuance the dichotomy of religion and nonreligion in the United States.