By Associated Press
Rachel Zoll (AP Religion Writer)
More Americans are active in religious groups than previously thought, and many others without ties to congregations still believe in God or a higher power.
Christians reject the label “evangelical,” preferring to describe themselves as “Bible believing” or “born again.”
Researchers found that only 10.8% of Americans have no ties to a congregation, denomination, or faith group.
Other surveys have also overlooked millions of evangelicals because they had no denomination and were wrongly counted as unaffiliated.
One-third of all Americans are evangelical Protestant, one-quarter are mainline Protestant, one-fifth are Roman Catholic, and 5% are black Protestant. Jews comprise 2.5% of the population, while 5% belong to other faiths. The rest who are not involved in religious groups are not fully secular.
More than 60% of the unaffiliated say they believe in God or a higher power.
Among the more religiously observant Christians, the term “evangelical” is unpopular. Only 15% called themselves “evangelical.”
About 31% think of God as “authoritarian,” deeply involved in people’s lives and world events, angry, and capable of punishing those who are unfaithful.
Nearly one-quarter consider God “critical,” an observer who views the state of the world unfavorably and will mete out punishment in another life.