A NEW study in North America concludes that “Atheists are distrusted to roughly the same degree as rapists”.
The research, led by University of British Columbia psychology doctoral student Will Gervais, found distrust to be the central factor motivating antagonism toward atheists among the religious.
An anti-atheist billboard spotted in the US
Said Gervais:
Where there are religious majorities – that is, in most of the world – atheists are among the least trusted people. With more than half a billion atheists worldwide, this prejudice has the potential to affect a substantial number of people.
Researchers believe the negative perception of atheists may stem from some people’s understanding of morality; a 2002 Pew poll suggests nearly half of Americans believe morality is impossible without belief in a deity.
For one part of Gervais’ six-part study, researchers compared views of atheists, homosexual men and the general population, noting that the first two groups are:
Often described as threatening to majority religious values and morality.
Both are explicitly denied membership to the Boy Scouts of America, the study adds.
The study found that:
People did not significantly differentiate atheists from rapists.
Researchers hope the study, considered among the first to probe the psychology behind anti-atheist sentiments, will offer clues on how to combat prejudice against non-believers.
Study co-author Ara Norenzayan, a UBC associate professor, said it was motivated in part by a 2007 Gallup poll that found only 45 per cent of Americans would vote for an atheist as president.
Atheists often see their disbelief as a private matter, but others may consider it:
A public threat to cooperation and honesty.
The UBC study, titled Do You Believe in Atheists? Distrust is Central to Anti-Atheist Prejudice, appears in the current online issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Hat tip: Robert Stovold
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
December 6th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
‘nearly half of Americans believe morality is impossible without belief in a deity.’
I have heard this argument repeated many times and it always stands out most for me, including this time. What a sad indictment of these people (not only Americans) to believe such a thing. What it means is that their perverse ‘morality’ is impossible without belief in a deity.
In other words to inflict suffering on others and destroy lives whilst believing you’re acting in their interests requires belief in a deity. They’re afraid that atheists show them up for what they really are.
December 6th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Since when was British Columbia in the USA?
December 6th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
It would be nice to see a comparable study that demonstrates how trustworthy atheists actually are.
December 6th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Traitors lead to civil war eh??
So what about the bible bashers in the south with their confederate flags who are praying for American civil war round 2 to kick off??
December 6th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Ah, that’s different, Zombiehunter, cos god will be on their side.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Hah! The gall they have to call us rapist, when the catholic church has some of the most famous rapist in the world.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Again, I have to agree with alb. You could substitute the word ‘traitors’ in that poster for just about any other epithet you wanted (including ‘rapists’), for the simple reason god botherers are terrified of being exposed by atheists for the charlatans they are. So they’ll happily spread even the most irrational and puerile lies about us.
It smacks of desperation. And as Samuel Johnson so rightly said, ‘Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”. The poster above proves his point.
December 6th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
@Mary D. My mistake. Changed to N America. Stuff like this happens when one’s trying to blog from a sickbed. Nothing too serious. Just Spanish flu.
December 6th, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Spanish man flu, Barry?
December 6th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
What makes this report all the more depressing, aside from Barry’s tenuous grasp of geography, is the fact that the atheist/rapist parity actually reflects the attitude of Canadian students.
We all know that most Yanks would rather vote for a serial killer than an atheist; that this attitude is also prevalent in what I considered a reasonable, tolerant country like Canada is quite disheartening.
December 6th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Why is it that the religious (at least the ones with a problem with atheists) focus so intensely on the idea that atheism will be the downfall of civilisation and will spread discord and distrust everywhere they go? Why do you never heard them say the equivalent of “we shall not be moved”? It’s as if they have entirely no confidence in the resilience of their faith and that of others. Surely a more positive message and attitude would be “atheists can think what they like, we’re fine believing in god and we are sure that our faithful community will endure”?
December 6th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
It better bloody not be Spanish flu Barry. That bastard wiped out nearly 100 million people in the years following the First World War. Expect a knock at your door from lots of men, and women, in bio-suits. And the army.
December 6th, 2011 at 3:00 pm
I have some relatives in Canada, and I hope the situation there is not as bad as it is in the US.
But what is interesting, is that most respondents probably never trusted an atheist, so I can they have an opinion on us? And what makes it extra weird is that many self-proclaimed christian politicians and priests have been caught with their pants down, not always literately, and that doesn’t seem to have any influence at all. They still get away with murder; the sheeple get shafted, find out and search for the next mealy-mouthed con-man.
More proof that religion rots the brains.
December 6th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
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Did anyone else notice this?
December 6th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Yeah, I saw that, barriejohn. Must have been targeted by a ‘fundie flashmob’.
Perhaps of interest to remigius and Har Davids, I also noticed that the study author states it was conducted using Americans, not Canadians. So fear not, Har – your relatives are quite safe for now!
December 6th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
You all forget that us pot smokin Canadians love everyone. So rapists are comparable to puppies, and Justin Bieber.
Off topic, but worth seeing is a video from Penn Gillette I saw last night, As a Canadian I am amazed at the scary republican candidates, and why they are taken seriously at all. That wasn’t meant as a bash against Americans, but I don’t think nutbars like that would even get the time of day here. Do watch the video though. One half of a Vegas act has more intelligence than any 5 republican candidates combined.
http://link.brightcove.com/ser.....5916174001
December 6th, 2011 at 5:01 pm
What is ‘morality’ if not an entirely fictional construct propagated by a group with similar perspectives? If being atheist makes me amoral, well hallelujah to that.
I also loved the picture up top. Surely in ‘the land of the free’ the most anti-American thing you can do is attack someone else’s belief system? The Rev E. F. Briggs is a traitor!
December 6th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
AgentCormac. Perhaps of interest to remigius and Har Davids, I also noticed that the study author states it was conducted using Americans, not Canadians…
I was referring to the study that gave the atheist/rapist parity that this post is based on, which according to the original report…
…105 UBC students between the ages of 18 and 25 were presented with a description of an untrustworthy person – an “archetypal freerider” who committed selfish and illegal acts when he thought he could get away with it.
Subjects were more likely to find the description representative of atheists than Christians, Muslims, gay men, feminists or Jewish people. Only rapists were similarly distrusted.
“People did not significantly differentiate atheists from rapists,” the study said.
Methinks they were Canadian students at a Canadian university.
December 6th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
An important part of the research justifying the paper’s key thesis and title (“Distrust Is Central to Anti-Atheist Prejudice”) was carried out in the States. But as Regimus says, the part of the paper most relevant to the title of the FT article was carried out in Canada.
I described the research as “Carried out in the States” in my hat-tip to Barry – sorry if that confused things!
Here’s a link to the full paper.
http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~will.....strust.pdf
December 6th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
Many thanks for the link Robert. What amazes me is the fact that of those who gave an atheist parity with a rapist, 71% were female. And this in the least religious province of one of the least religious countries.
Beggars belief.
December 6th, 2011 at 7:16 pm
remigius
My apologies. Looks like the study was conducted with both American and Canadian subjects.
December 6th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Didn’t the Canadian political scene feature a religious nutter called Stockwell Day for a while? I always wonder why these people have to have such bizarre names.
Why do some people believe that it is impossible to live a moral life without belief in a deity when it is self evidently not true? They must be fully aware that ‘evil’ atheists are living among them and that they have not suffered one single negative concequence as a result. It is almost as if religious people have a tendency to believe in things that are obviously not true.
December 6th, 2011 at 9:50 pm
All the same with these hardcore-”christs”. Let’s try somthin:
Anti-God is Anti-Islamic
Anti-Islamic is Treason
Traitors lead to civil-War
(as you can see in Afghanistan)
December 6th, 2011 at 10:00 pm
Stonyground: The father of modern Pentecostalism was a man called Smith Wigglesworth – I kid you not!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_Wigglesworth
December 6th, 2011 at 10:05 pm
To Har Davids
“I have some relatives in Canada, and I hope the situation there is not as bad as it is in the US.”
No it is not as bad here in Canada as in the US but like the US the more rural and less well off your location the more of the fundamentalists types you find….backwoods and poverty is fertil ground for the god fundies.
December 7th, 2011 at 12:01 am
This kind of thing has been going on for a long time with the Church trying to demonize non-believers. Nothing new here. It’s to be expected. Atheists are a real threat to the Church because we are slowly but surely becoming more prominent in society and growing in numbers.
December 7th, 2011 at 7:35 am
‘nearly half of Americans believe morality is impossible without belief in a deity.’
And they are of course right – since they define morality as “doing god’s will”. Don’t bnother to argue with them.
As an atheist, I am proud to state that I have something much better that that, I have ethics!
December 7th, 2011 at 8:37 am
@gsw: You forget that THEIR morality is based upon absolute, unchanging, eternal laws, so is far superior to our subjective, relative, changing ethical code. Every single law laid down in the Old Testament – without exception – along with all the rules and regulations laid down by Paul for the conduct of Christians, is still rigidly adhered to today, as you must surely know!
December 7th, 2011 at 10:21 am
BIAS AGAINST ATHEISTS IS NAUGHTY – NOT NICE
December 7th, 2011 at 8:32 pm
The morality argument is an interesting one, and a stubbornly valid point, but not for the reasons the American public think.
Most people think that without Christianity (not theism) morality is impossible, and this is entirely bogus, but consider this popular theistic argument, and please, respond if you can, I’d really like to hear some intelligent atheistic points of view on this:
1. Without A god of some kind, objective morality is impossible.
2. We have objective morality.
3. We have a god.
Evolutionary responses seem viable to me, though it is extremely counter-intuitive that child-rape is anything except “wrong”. What do you think?