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I used to edit news from Latin America, and I am always curious about new research on the region. On the religion beat, one big story tends to dominate: the growth of Protestant churches in this Catholic stronghold.
So my interest was piqued when Matthew Blanton, a sociologist who studies migration and religion in Latin America, pitched something different: the growing percentage of “nones,” people who say they don’t have a religious affiliation at all.
And according to his research, that process looks different than in other parts of the world. Unaffiliated people in Latin America, for example, are much more likely than unaffiliated people in the U.S. or Europe to say they believe in God. More people may be leaving churches, but they’re not necessarily leaving faith behind.
The trend speaks to Latin America’s unique history, Blanton explains – and makes us rethink how religion gets measured in the first place.
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A woman takes part in a Christ of May procession in Santiago, Chile, parading a relic from a destroyed church’s crucifix through the city.
AP Photo/Esteban Felix
Matthew Blanton, The University of Texas at Austin
Protestant churches’ growth in Latin America gets lots of attention, but another important shift is happening, too: people leaving organized religion altogether.
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Science + Technology
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Michelle Lynn Kahn, University of Richmond
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International
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Sandra Joireman, University of Richmond
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Politics + Society
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Joshua Kastenberg, University of New Mexico
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Health + Medicine
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Ellen T. Meiser, University of Hawaii at Hilo
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Education
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Sarah Lubienski, Indiana University; Colleen Ganley, Florida State University; Martha Makowski, University of Alabama
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Arts + Culture
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Roger J. Kreuz, University of Memphis
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Jonathan Deutsch, Drexel University
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Environment + Energy
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Benjamin Freeman, Georgia Institute of Technology
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