Survey: God Disbelief Strongest on West Coast While an Atheistic Outlook Remains Stable Since 2000

In a recent survey, Gallup asked respondents whether they believed in God; believed in a universal spirit or higher power; or don’t believe in either. Not surprisingly, “God disbelief” is highest among Americans living on the West coast with a strong proportion (29%) preferring instead belief in some general higher power, and 10% indicating an absence of belief in either God or a transcendental alternative.

Trends over time (below) show that belief in a traditional God has declined since 2000 (86% to 76%) with the shift towards a more general transcendental belief in some form of higher power (8% to 15%).

Despite a number of best-selling books on the topic over the past few years, an absence of belief–what might be an indicator of atheism or strong agnosticism–has remained stable and within the margin of error at roughly just 5% of Americans.