538: More And More Americans Aren't Religious. Why Are Democrats Ignoring These Voters?

[brooklynite]

Democrats are once again doubling down on religion this year. Faith was on full display during the Democratic National Convention, where Joe Biden closed out the week with several pointed references to his Catholic faith. And the Biden campaign is also making an ambitious play for white evangelical Protestants and Mormons, two loyal Republican groups where Democrats hope to make some inroads.

Often lost in this, though, is the fact that Democrats are mostly ignoring a massive group of voters who are becoming an increasingly crucial part of their base: people who don’t have any religion at all.

Right now, voters with no religious affiliation look like they might back Biden in record numbers. According to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center in early August, 72 percent of nonreligious voters — a group that includes people who identify as atheists, agnostics and nothing in particular — are planning to support Biden. That’s 4 percentage points higher than the 68 percent who supported Hillary Clinton in 2016. And that’s a big deal, because despite being frequently overlooked, nonreligious people make up a sizable part of the electorate. An analysis of validated voters by Pew found that religiously unaffiliated voters accounted for one-quarter of the electorate in 2016, and 30 percent in 2018.

The unaffiliated are a key demographic for Democratic candidates in particular. More than one-third of the people who voted for Clinton in 2016 were religiously unaffiliated, making them just as electorally important for Democrats as white evangelical Protestants are for Republicans. Yet despite constantly hearing about the importance of white evangelical voters in an election cycle, Democratic politicians have been slow to embrace the growing number of nonreligious people who vote for them.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/more-and-more-americans-arent-religious-why-are-democrats-ignoring-these-voters/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

[Stallion]

1. H-O-R-S-E-R-A-C-E

[Budi]

2. Sure, OK 538. Now do cats.

Link to tweet

[betsuni]

13. Was just thinking: why the hell so many "Democrats are ignoring ____" posts? Who's next?

[beachbumbob]

3. the name of this is disaparging democrats and is what to be expected even with 538

its nonsense as religion or not, we have GRAVE issues much more important to all of us voting democratic than whose god or lack of god is important

[SWBTATTReg]

4. For some reason, I don't feel ignored by democrats. 538 is peddling garbage as usual. NT

[fleur-de-lisa]

5. Fuck off, 538.

I’m so sick of all the criticisms of Democrats.

[SharonClark]

6. Such a non-issue

"72 percent of nonreligious voters — a group that includes people who identify as atheists, agnostics and nothing in particular — are planning to support Biden."

It doesn't sound like he needs to do outreach to this group, which includes me, because we have little to fear from a Biden campaign.

[Pathwalker]

7. I thought we non-religious were the base?

[Mariana]

17. There aren't enough of us to be the base.

The majority of Democratic voters are religious.

[redstateblues]

8. DEMS IN DISARRAY!!

[TheRealNorth]

9. Biden doesn't need to pander me

All he needs to do is follow the 1st Amendment and oppose/not enact laws based on religious dogma.

[Midnight Writer]

10. So Biden should make a speech condemning all Religion? Seriously?

Sounds like a fool proof plan.

[JI7]

11. Non religious doesn't mean we condemn religions. It just means we are not religious

[Baked Potato]

12. Oh, come on... that's a real stretch. As if these voters are on the fence.

Democrats understand the “play” going on for evangelicals is not at the expense of ignoring the non-religious.

[JHB]

14. Hey 538! Where's the article about how the Republicans are in for it...

...by not courting the nonreligious?

[MoonlitKnight]

15. Go ahead and pander to the religious folks

Since I don’t believe I don’t care as long as you don’t base policy decisions based upon what some crazy televangelist spouts.

[radius777]

18. Most non-religious people are still theists,

thus universal appeals to spirituality (what Biden is doing) works to connect with the religious and non-religious alike - and their sense of family and community.

[Buckeyeblue]

19. It's policies that speak to the non-religious not words

I'm an atheist. But I don't need to be acknowledged. I want policies that promote true equality and freedom.