Reply #77: The ‘American Religious Identification Survey’ and ‘Encyclopædia Britannica’ survey

[ironbark]

give the same ‘self identification’ options and arrive at similar statistical result-

American Religious Identification Survey, Summary Report March 2009:

"Self-identification of U.S. Adult Population by Religious Tradition

2001>..........................................................2008>
Non- religious 29,481,000 (14.1%)................... 34,169,000 (15%)

Religious 167,254,000 (80%)........................ 182,198,000 (80%)

Agnostics 991,000 (0.5%).......................... 1,985,000 (0.9%)

Atheists 902,000 (0.4%)....................... .... 1,621,000 (0.7%)
------------------------

“lack of specificity in those identifiers for that to be a really useful poll”

Sure, you could break it down and specify until each and every individual proclivity was covered.
But the bottom line (from both surveys) is that the vast majority of those who identify as Nonreligious choose not to identify as atheists.

“What specifically does "skepticism" mean with regard to religion?”

Sceptical as to the merits of religion in general? Sceptical as to organised religion in particular?
It’s a survey/poll….you don’t get a dictionary definition of each term or an essay on what it means.
It seeks individuals broad identification and achieves and reveals same.


“…"Militantly antireligious" is more a descriptor of anti-theism (a different thing than atheism)...”

That is an opinion not supported by the evidence of this board and not reflected in (either) poll result.

“And what exactly does "opposed to all religion" mean?”

I would hazard a guess that it means the individual is “"opposed to all religion".
Such opposition would be revealed in expressions such as- “Fuck religion” and “No good ever came of religion” discussed and substantiated previously on the board.

“Persons "professing no religion" may in fact be believers of some sort. Their religion may be a personal matter and not part of any organized sect.”

In that case their self identification remains accurate "professing no religion".

Methinks thou protests too much.
Methinks the protestation arises from survey outcome rather than parameters/methodology.