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I used to live in Seattle and was told that it has the lowest percentage of church goers and is the least religious city so I suspect that it has the highest percentage of atheists.
I don't really care, even as an atheist. Personally, it's not so bad living in the heart of the Bible thumping south. I can get all my shopping and chores done on Sunday's when everyone else thinks they are growing closer to an imaginary man in the sky. And I don't have to worry about traffic!!
My guess is there's a fair amount of self-reporting involved and so would have to be taken with a grain of salt anyway.
Some people would take that label without knowing what it means clearly, just to be provocative, others would shy away from it because of controversy or social approbation.
Still -- an interesting list, with Vermont at the top. I'm skeptical of Maine at #2, it's a pretty conservative state, is it not? On the other hand if my atheist self wanted to retreat to someplace in the deep woods, Maine would be a candidate ... but I'm guessing Maine has a low percentage of non-religious so a high percentage of THOSE being atheists could be a statistical anomaly.
My guess is there's a fair amount of self-reporting involved and so would have to be taken with a grain of salt anyway.
Some people would take that label without knowing what it means clearly, just to be provocative, others would shy away from it because of controversy or social approbation.
Still -- an interesting list, with Vermont at the top. I'm skeptical of Maine at #2, it's a pretty conservative state, is it not? On the other hand if my atheist self wanted to retreat to someplace in the deep woods, Maine would be a candidate ... but I'm guessing Maine has a low percentage of non-religious so a high percentage of THOSE being atheists could be a statistical anomaly.
No, I think Maine is likely not too religious at all. That's based somewhat on anecdotal evidence--my mother-in-law was from just outside Portland, and no one in her family was particularly religious. But I also seem to remember hearing that outside my own experience.
Just did a quick search. This article from 2012 seems to confirm it.
Conservative does not always equal religious. I have two conservative sisters--one moderately conservative, the other a far-right-wing whacko job, and neither are religious. The moderate one is an atheist for certain. Not sure about the other. Thought she was an atheist but she makes occasional references to God. Her long-time partner goes to a church, or used to, but she will be 70 this year and I doubt she's stepped foot in a church since she was 20 except for weddings and my father's funeral.
I suspect Maine people are likely conservative in that they like their isolation and do not welcome governmental intrusion.
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amount of atheists
