Source: Who Believes in God and Who Doesnt by Frank Newport, June 23, 2006

1
Who believes in God and who doesnt?

• The Gallup News Service
• June 23, 2006

2

• Seventy-three percent of Americans are classic
  true believers, convinced that God exists beyond
  a doubt.

3

• Eighty-seven percent of Americans are basic
  believers in the existence of God.(Saying either
  that they are convinced that God exists or that
  God probably exists and they have only a little
  doubt that this is the case.)

4

• 92 of Americans state that at the least they
  think God probably exists(even though some have
  a lot of doubt about it).

5

• Only 3 of Americans can be considered to be
  hard-core atheists, convinced that God does not
  exist.

6

• 4 are agnostics (leaning toward a belief that
  God does not exist, but not sure that this is the
  case beyond a doubt).

7

• Most measures of religiosity are lower among
  young people than older people.

8

• Younger people are less likely to report
  attending church.

9

• Younger people are less likely to say that
  religion is important in their daily lives.

10

• Younger people are more likely to report having
  no religion at all than are those who are older.

11

• Younger Americans appear just as likely as those
  who are older to report being certain or almost
  certain that God exists.

12

• An inverse relationship exists between levels of
  education and income and belief in God.

13

• Americans who have attained higher levels of
  education and who have higher household incomes
  are less likely to be certain that God exists
  than those who are on the other end of the
  socioeconomic spectrum

14

• Only about three-quarters of Americans with
  post-graduate educations or with incomes above
  150,000 a year are certain that God exists (or
  believe that God probably exists and have only a
  little doubt).

15

• More than 9 out of 10 of those with high school
  educations or less believe that God exists.

16

• Women are more religious than men on many
  measures, including self-reported importance of
  religion in one's daily life and active church
  attendance and church participation.

17

• Ninety-one percent of women are in the "basic
  believers" category, compared to 85 of men.

18

• There is slightly less certainty about the
  existence of God on both coasts of the United
  States.

19

• Nine out of 10 residents of the South and Midwest
  believe in God
• Compared to 83 and 84 of those living in the
  West and the East, respectively.

20

• By almost all measures, Republicans are more
  religious on average than are independents or
  Democrats.

21

• Republicans are more likely to attend church
  regularly and are more likely to identify with a
  specific religious group.