ceived everything as being spiritually connected. Data from IOOW 2000 and other studies show that roughly 40% to 60% of Americans report having had non-ordinary states of consciousness such as near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, awareness of other presences not ordinarily visible, precognition, and related experiences.

The IOOW 2000 research study also offers new insight on the relationship between attendance at church services or religious meetings and the experience of God or a sense of the sacred. For example, 84% of respondents who attend church services or religious meetings report having been directly aware of or personally influenced by the presence of God or a higher spiritual consciousness. Forty-seven percent of respondents who do not attend church services or meetings report the same experience.

Furthermore, 60% of those who attend church services or religious meetings report experiencing a sense of the sacred in everything around them, while 44% of those who do not attend report experiencing a sense of the sacred in everything around them. These findings provide a fresh perspective on how Americans experience spirituality, independent of religious institutions. The sense of the sacred, recognition of the presence of divinity, and general feeling of spiritual connection or oneness that is experienced independently of regular attendance at church, temple, mosque, or religious meetings gives validity to the thesis that religion does not have the same meaning as spirituality. The findings of the IOOW study support the idea that organized religion is but one pathway for people to explore or express innate spirituality.

Global Awakening

The IOOW 2000 Research Program documents a nascent spirituality among Americans--one that bridges perceived differences between those who identify with traditional religion and those who do not. Even among those types who express the least concern with spirituality, a need for spiritual growth is acknowledged.

That 57% of Americans agree a "global awakening to higher consciousness" is taking place and that a nearly identical percentage agree that in ten years social or spiritual awakening will make the world a better place suggests a startlingly high level of agreement concerning spirituality. The present study reveals that most Americans want to address spiritual growth and to be more aware of their personal connection to higher consciousness. That over 80% of respondents acknowledge that the earth as a whole is a living system carries profound implications for humanity's