Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper examines the level and correlates of Americans’ distrust of atheists. Using new, nationally-representative survey data measuring public and private trust, we show that atheists are more widely rejected than any other group measured. Despite declining boundaries between religious groups, the boundary between believers and non-believers in America remains very strong. Using logistic regression models, we find that public and private rejection of atheists is driven by religious predictors, but also by social location and political orientation. Finally, we show that distrust of atheists is correlated with other forms of prejudice in a stable way.