Not Just White and Liberal: Race, Secularity, and Visions of American Society

The following paper investigates the impact of racial differences on societal and political attitudes among secular individuals in the United States. Using data from the 2014 American Mosaic Project, our analyses focus on the relationships between secularity, race, and comfort with conservative Christian and atheist views, as well as opinions on whether the president should be religious. The results indicate substantial variation in these attitudes across racial groups, with secular non-Whites displaying unique sociopolitical preferences compared with their White counterparts. This challenges the oversimplified view of secularity as a predominantly White, liberal phenomenon, uncovering a more complex interplay between race, secularity, and sociopolitical orientations. These findings contribute to the sociology of religion by highlighting the diverse ways in which secular and religious identities intersect with race in contemporary American society, offering insights valuable for scholars, policymakers, and social activists in an increasingly secular age.