Ryan Burge does it again.
If you’ve followed his work, you know he has a way of blending rigorous research with clear, relatable explanations. This time, he partnered with Tony Jones on a grant-funded project from the John Templeton Foundation’s Spiritual Yearning Research Initiative. The centerpiece? A massive survey titled Making Meaning in a Post-Religious America.
They went big—really big—on sample size. Using Qualtrics, a trusted data platform in both academic and business circles, they surveyed 15,296 Americans. Of those, 12,014 identified as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular”—the group we’ve come to call the Nones. They also surveyed 3,282 Americans from various faith traditions (Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and others) as a reference group for comparison.
The goal? To see the Nones in a new light, using more nuance than traditional surveys allow. They applied a machine learning process called k-means clustering—an algorithm that groups people based on similarities without human bias in the sorting. The result: four distinct categories within the non-religious.
Those four groups are:
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- NiNos (Nones in Name Only)
- SBNRs (Spiritual But Not Religious)
- The Dones
- Zealous Atheists
As you read, remember—Burge’s percentages are within the Nones, not the total U.S. population. In other words, when he says 36% of Nones fall into a category, that’s 36% of people who are religiously unaffiliated, not 36% of all Americans.
You can read Burge’s original article on his Graphs about Religion Substack here: The Four Types of Nones.
NiNos: Nones in Name Only (21% of the Nones)
Let’s start with the most surprising group—at least for those who think all Nones are thoroughly secular. The NiNos are, in many ways, still tethered to religion. They reject a religious label, but their practices and beliefs look, at times, like those inside the pews.
Nearly three-quarters of them choose “nothing in particular” as their affiliation. Yet over half pray daily, and a similar percentage say they believe in God without a doubt. One-third even attend religious services at least once a year. Compared to Protestants and Catholics, their religious engagement is still lower—but compared to other Nones, it’s much higher.
Here’s the kicker: NiNos may reflect a flaw in how surveys classify religious identity. Many don’t fit neatly into the categories survey researchers use. They may dislike institutions, but they retain personal faith and private spiritual habits. In that sense, they could be “low-commitment believers” rather than truly non-religious.
For pastors and church leaders, NiNos could represent the most reachable segment of the Nones—people already halfway to the front door, spiritually speaking.
SBNRs: Spiritual But Not Religious (36% of the Nones)
This is the largest group, and their label is familiar even outside academic circles. SBNRs resist organized religion but pursue spiritual meaning in other ways.
Their stats paint a clear picture: 93% seldom or never attend religious services, nearly 90% rarely pray, and only 5% say they believe in God without a doubt. But they score high on “spiritual importance,” which sets them apart from the Dones and Zealous Atheists.
They’re also deeply distrustful of religion—three-quarters say they have no trust in religious institutions at all. Instead, they turn to what you might call “alternative spiritual practices”—meditation, yoga, nature walks, crystals, energy work, and other non-institutional forms of meaning-making.
One key insight here: SBNRs may not be drawn back to church by traditional approaches. Instead, engagement might require building bridges through shared values like community service and community ministries like those offered by Upward Sports.
The Dones (33% of the Nones)
If the SBNRs keep one foot in the spiritual waters, the Dones have stepped completely out—and dried off. They register the lowest possible scores for both religious and spiritual importance.
They rarely, if ever, participate in religious practices—just 2% attend services at all, and 99% say they don’t pray. Belief in God? Almost nonexistent. The most telling stat: 77% agree with the statement, “When I die, my existence ends.”
For the Dones, religion is not only unnecessary—it’s irrelevant. In Burge’s words, there’s no evidence of a “God-shaped hole” here. That makes them the least likely to reengage with faith through conventional outreach.
Still, they’re worth understanding. Their firm disconnection from religion may say as much about past religious experiences (or lack thereof) as about their current worldview.
Zealous Atheists (11% of the Nones)
This is the smallest group, but it’s the one most people think of when they picture an outspoken non-believer. About three-quarters of them have tried to persuade someone to leave religion in the past year. Burge calls them the “Reddit Atheists” for their quickness to critique faith online.
They’re often active in debates, mocking religious concepts they see as irrational (“Sky Daddy” jokes and references to the “Flying Spaghetti Monster” abound). What’s surprising is that some still have minimal interaction with religion—17% attend a service at least once a year, and some admit to occasional prayer.
Why? Possibly because religion still touches their lives indirectly—through family, holidays, or cultural moments. And that ongoing contact may fuel their critical engagement.
It’s worth noting that despite their online visibility, Zealous Atheists represent just over one in ten Nones—not the face of the entire unaffiliated world.
What Do the Church Leaders Do with This Research?
Burge and Jones’ work gives us a sharper lens for understanding the religiously unaffiliated. Instead of treating all Nones as one undifferentiated group, we can now see four distinct faces:
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- NiNos who still show religious behaviors.
- SBNRs who reject religion but seek spiritual fulfillment elsewhere.
- Dones who have checked out completely.
- Zealous Atheists who actively oppose religion.
Here’s what’s crucial to remember: these percentages describe the Nones, not all Americans. And within those categories, there’s fluidity—people can shift over time from one group to another.
For faith leaders, this means engagement strategies must be as diverse as the Nones themselves. The NiNos may respond to gentle invitations, SBNRs to shared causes, Dones to authentic relationships, and Zealous Atheists… well, they may just want to argue on X.
But one unspoken truth in Burge’s research is that secular America isn’t monolithic. If we can understand the nuances, we may be better equipped not only to talk about the Nones—but to talk with them.
Read Ryan Burge’s full article here: The Four Types of Nones – Graphs About Religion
Posted on August 25, 2025
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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