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Alaska is among the least religious states in America

Alaska is among the least religious states in the nation according to a new report on the importance of religion in people’s lives, reports Catholic Anchor.

According to the Pew Research Center, Alaska ranks dead last in worship attendance with only 22 percent saying they attend religious services at least once a week. Nationally, the number is 39 percent.

Alaskans rank second-to-last when asked whether religion was “very important in their lives,” with only 37 percent agreeing. Nationally the number is 56 percent.

Alaskans don’t fair much better in prayer with only 41 percent saying they pray at least once a day. Only Massachusetts and Maine residents pray less, while nationally, 58 percent said they pray daily.

On the question of belief in God, only 61 percent of Alaskans said they believe “with absolute certainty” compared to 71 percent nationally.

The data comes from the Pew Forum’s 2007 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. In Alaska, 200 people were surveyed with a margin of error of plus or minus 7.5 percent.

The most actively religious region according to the report was the Bible Belt of the American South, where Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and South Carolina all showed a high percentage of religious activity.

The least religious regions were New England states and the Northwest.

To view the full report, click here.

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TAGS: USA Alaska least religious states importance of religion Pew Research Center U.S. Religious Landscape Survey

[12/29/2009]

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