S01E02 - Religiosity is Declining BUT Giving is Increasing: Can the Nonreligious Really Be Less Generous?

This research article investigates whether declining religiosity in the United States leads to a decrease in charitable giving. By analyzing data from the 2023 Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the authors compare the philanthropic habits of religious individuals against atheists, agnostics, and "nones." The findings indicate that while nonreligious people are significantly less likely to donate to religious organizations, they contribute to secular charities at rates similar to their religious counterparts. Once demographic factors like income, wealth, and education are controlled, religious affiliation becomes a negligible predictor of how much or how often someone gives to non-sectarian causes. The study concludes that the ongoing secularization of society does not pose a threat to the health of the secular nonprofit sector. Ultimately, the authors suggest that secular individuals are motivated by the same prosocial values as religious believers, ensuring that total generosity remains high even as church attendance falls. (Citation: Cragun, R. T., Rodriguez, A., Smith, J., & Speed, D. (2026). Religiosity is Declining BUT Giving is Increasing: Can the Nonreligious Really Be Less Generous? Secularism and Nonreligion, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/snr.164)