Inspiring the Nones?: Exploring Self-Transcendent Media Use and Outcomes Among the Religiously Unaffiliated

More than one in four U.S. adults now claim no religious affiliation, representing a 460% increase in religious “nones” since 1972. However, despite a recent spate of studies on self-transcendent media experiences, media scholars have paid little attention to this trend. Data from two waves (nWave1 = 2,016; nWave2 = 1,544) of a nationally representative panel survey facilitated the first exploration of transcendence-related media experiences and well-being outcomes among religiously affiliated and unaffiliated individuals.