Statistics from the 2008
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life’s U.S. Religious Landscape Survey show that compared with the nation as a whole, Alaska is home to a higher-than-average number of people who are unaffiliated with any particular religion. More than one-in-four Alaskans (27%) describe their religion as atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular, compared with 16% among the adult population of the continental U.S. In this respect, Alaska closely resembles some other Northwestern states, including Oregon (27% unaffiliated with any particular religion) and Washington (23% unaffiliated).
About two-thirds of Alaskans (69%) belong to Christian religions, compared with 78% among the U.S. population overall.* The number of Alaskans who are members of evangelical Protestant denominations (26%) is identical to the share of the overall U.S. population that is evangelical.
When it comes to religious beliefs and practices, the Landscape Survey finds that Alaskans tend to be less religious on a variety of measures as compared with the overall U.S. population. For instance, whereas a majority of American adults (56%) say that religion is very important in their lives, only 37% of Alaskans place great importance on religion. Nearly one-third of Alaskans (31%) say religion is not too important or not at all important in their lives, compared with only 16% among the public overall.
Americans as a whole are nearly twice as likely as Alaskans to say that they attend religious services on a weekly basis (39% vs. 22%). And nearly half of Alaskans (47%) say they seldom or never attend worship services, compared with only 27% among the public overall.
