bjkeefe: What Do You Make of This?

Saturday, July 22, 2006

From Harper's Index of June 2006:

Percentage change since 1990 in the number of Americans who describe themselves as "nonreligious": +106

bjkeefe said...: Of course, a percentage change can be misleading. For example, if one guy surveyed in 1990 said he was nonreligious, and two said so this year, that's a 100% increase.

Harper's doesn't give a source for its number. However, a quick Google search turned up a table on the Encyclopedia Brittanica's web site, listing religious affiliations at various points in time. According to that table: in 1990, the US had 770,000 atheists. In 2005, it had 1,424,000. That's a little less than double -- an 85% increase. Same ballpark as Harper's number, though.

Back to my original point: the EB's numbers come out to 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively, of the total contemporaneous US populations.

Let's just say that me and my peeps don't yet have quite the political clout as this guy.; 9:30 AM, July 22, 2006
Anonymous said...: Yeah, but did you notice that great photograph in the June issue of Harper's by Justin Kimball? Wow.

Nice blog, Brendan.; 2:59 PM, July 23, 2006
bjkeefe said...: Thanks, Mo!

I don't often see the print edition of Harper's, and those bastards didn't put Justin's picture up on their site, at least that I could find. They do mention him by name, but no link from there.

How's life? Send me your new email address, please -- the one I have for you is broken.

Sorry to have missed the concert in NYC. I heard it . . . well, "rocked" probably wouldn't be appropriate . . .; 8:22 PM, July 24, 2006

bjkeefe