From what I have read, according to polls is that folks aged 40+ still maintain their religion. The majority of anyone less of that age had become skeptical, turned to an unbeliever or are religiously unaffiliated. So the % of nonbelievers has risen twice as much the last twenty years as opposed to over two decades ago. Depends on the polls really, but the last ones I read have the unaffiliated at around 45%. The main reasons is that the younglings have been growing up with facts and science ????

Growing in the US more slowly than the rest of the world, because,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sheeple?

Polls suggest that "nonreligious" is the fastest growing segment. Atheists are part of those numbers. In the US it is said that 20% now identify as nonreligious which makes it a force to be watched, up there with the monotheistic numbers.

Actually the non believing population is growing and I blame it upon the internet. Knowledge is so much easier to obtain and all it takes in one interest friend to share the right thing that makes a believer to question what they think and it's over. I give it another 3 or 4 generations before all major religions are dead and only cluts exists. But there will always be a belief system that pertains to deities.

I have seen data that we are growing in numbers, although that may be more of a reflection of us 'coming out' than real growth.

Atheists, like a huge assortment of other minorities, are experiencing empowerment through our enhanced search capabilities to find peers. I don't feel that the number of atheists is increasing as much as the decrease in fear that we feel from realization that we have so many who feel as we do is allowing us to be more candid.

I think anytime you have a culture that encourages sharing ideas and information freely, religion slowly loses traction. We saw this, historically, during the renaissance periods. Religions, by and large, are control systems for large groups, to get everyone thinking similar things and having similar values. That does not mean they may not have value. It just means that cultures that value freethinking modalities are less likely to accept the rigorous dogma of organized religion.

I certainly HOPE that atheists are a growing demograph. At the bare minimum, atheists are coming out of the shadows. We cannot be ignored, we DO exist, and we really do not want to be overlooked. This is NOT a "christian nation", and we can change that rude attitude simply by making ourselves known!

If you look at the latest Pew Research a few years ago it shows the ‘nones’closing in on 25% but I think open secularists or atheists still only made up 3% of that number. I could be misremembering though.