One big trend in the US over the last few decades is that the country is becoming less religious. Far more people are categorizing themselves as Nones — people who say they don’t have a religious identity.
OAKES: The rise of the Nones started in the 80s with Generation X, so people my age and that was during Reagan. And that was the Christian right, and so now the Christian right is back and you are just going to see more people leaving.
Some Nones are atheists. Others say they're searching, to understand who they are. There’s also a kind of home-grown DIY spirituality, where people are mixing and matching religious teachings. There’s still a lot to understand about the Nones, which are a growing demographic.
To find out more, KALW’s Judy Silber spoke to UC Berkeley lecturer Kaya Oakes, who did dozens of in depth interviews to write her book—‘The Nones are Alright’.
To hear the complete story, click the audio player above.
