Religiously Unaffiliated: Understanding and Engaging the “Nones”
Session Type(s): Training
Training Tag(s): Grassroots Organizing/Campaigns
Starts: Saturday, Jul. 15 3:45 PM (Central)
Ends: Saturday, Jul. 15 4:45 PM (Central)
Room: Williford B
Religiously unaffiliated Americans, or the “nones,” are the fastest growing religious demographic in the nation—now representing nearly one-third of Americans and nearly 40% of millennials and Gen Z. But this population is stigmatized, overlooked and misunderstood despite its enormous potential as a voting constituency. Learn everything you need to know about the nones: their very diverse demographics; their voting behavior; how to reach and activate them; and how to be more inclusive of this constituency, including how to avoid common missteps and pitfalls that further marginalize them.
Trainers
Sarah Levin
Sarah Levin is the founder and principal of Secular Strategies, a specialized consulting firm dedicated to activating the increasing number of religiously unaffiliated individuals in America and advancing policies that uphold inclusive religious freedom.
With her extensive experience and commitment to the secular movement, Sarah has played a pivotal role as a co-chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Interfaith Council, advocating for the rights of nonreligious Americans and championing the separation of religion and government. She held various positions at the Secular Coalition for America between 2013 and 2019.
Notably, Sarah’s current roster of clients includes Jews for a Secular Democracy, SMART Recovery, Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, Center for Freethought Equality, Association of Secular Elected Officials, Rights, and Religions Forum, and Secular Democrats of America PAC.
Juhem Navarro-Rivera
Dr. Juhem Navarro-Rivera is a leading expert in the demographics and politics of non-religious Americans. He is the managing partner at Socioanalítica Research, a research and analysis firm designing project for Progressive nonprofits. Dr. Navarro-Rivera is the author of the Secular Politics Newsletter, where he explores the intersection of secularism and politics.
With a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Connecticut, Dr. Navarro-Rivera has made significant contributions to the field. He has been an integral member of several renowned research projects, including the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, PRRI’s American Values Atlas, Socioanalitica Research’s Secular Voices Survey, American Atheist’s US Secular Survey, and UCSB’s Secular Communities Survey.
Dr. Navarro-Rivera’s expertise has garnered attention from national and international media, and he is frequently quoted as a trusted source on secularism for outlets such as The Washington Post, PBS, Diario de Noticias (Portugal), and Reforma (Mexico). For those interested in staying up-to-date on secular politics, his newsletter, Secular Politics, provides valuable insights and analysis. You can subscribe to his newsletter or follow him on Twitter at @juhemnr.