Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to Life Examined

Life Examined

What’s driving the rise in atheism?

Many people yearn to feel connected to something larger than life. For some that’s a belief in God and religion, but that number is starting to dramatically decline.

  • rss
Download MP3
  • Share
By Jonathan Bastian • Dec 5, 2020 • 51m Listen

Many people yearn to feel connected to something larger than life. For some that’s a belief in God and religion, but that number is starting to dramatically decline. According to a 2019 Pew Research survey, a quarter of the US population today say they have no religious affiliation. Secularism has skyrocketed over the last three decades in America and added to that equation, there’s also an increase in self-described atheists, those who completely reject any form of supernatural deity. So why are Americans turning away from God and what does it mean to be an atheist in today’s America?

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Jonathan Bastian

    Host, Life Examined

  • KCRW placeholder

    Andrea Brody

    Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

    CultureReligionPoliticsPhilosophy
Back to Life Examined