There is an interesting study out this week by two University of Kentucky researchers that the number of atheists may be twice as large as previously estimated. The number may be closer to 26 percent — an fascinating prospect given the politics surrounding faith-based initiatives and policies. As I have previously discussed, both parties have courted the religious vote and largely ignored the sizable number of Americans who are either agnostic or atheist. That number may be finally reaching a political tipping point for office holders to heed their preferences for secular government and the separation of church and state. We have previously discussed studies indicating that one out of four Americans may not believe in God. This study would seem to support those earlier estimates.
The researchers found that people tend to still be embarrassed in admitting that they do not believe in God. The result is under reporting of the number of atheists on past polls. Polls like Gallup and Pew put the number as below 10 percent.
Psychologists Will Gervais and Maxine Najle believe that there are significant numbers of “closet” atheists who are likely to shy away from saying “no” when asked “Do you believe in God?”
Indeed, one in three such people tend to hide their atheist views.
If that is the case, the number of voters who do not subscribe to faith-based lifestyles could be one in four — a huge voting block that could play a more significant role in future elections.
Here is the study.
