Source: Hartford Courant

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-secular0615.artjun15,0,6167409.story

On June 15, 2005 the Hartford Courant reported, "Research suggests that if secularism were a religious denomination, it would be one of the largest and fastest-growing in the United States today. The number of people who say they have no religious affiliation has grown since the early 1990s to nearly 14 percent of the population. This trend has surprised researchers, given the political and social impact that religious values have had in America in recent years. A new program at Trinity College, the Institute for the Study of Secularism and Culture, will begin in July to delve into the struggle between religious and secular values in society. It is believed to be the first academic institute devoted to the study of the history and development of secular values. Barry Kosmin, a sociologist who has conducted major studies of religious identity in the United States, will be the institute's director."