Frequently Asked Questions
What is Reality Check?
Reality Check: Being Nonreligious in America is the first report published with the groundbreaking data obtained on nonreligious people and communities through the U.S. Secular Survey. This 60-page report provides a comprehensive overview of the information provided by the nearly 34,000 survey participants, including how open they are with their nonreligious identities, their policy priorities, discrimination and stigma they face as nonreligious people, and how they engage with local and national secular organizations.
What are the key takeaways from the Reality Check report?
Perhaps most significantly, the Reality Check report shows how much greater the rate of discrimination and stigmatization is for nonreligious people living in very religious communities, compared to less religious communities. We know anecdotally that atheism and other secular identities are far less accepted in more religious areas of the country, but this reports highlights the increased discrimination and stigma nonreligious people face in states like Mississippi and Utah, how this drives nonreligious people to conceal their beliefs, and the negative psychological outcomes that result.
For additional key takeaways, please see the Executive Summary.
What was the U.S. Secular Survey?
The U.S. Secular Survey was the largest, most comprehensive survey of atheists, humanists, freethinkers, and other nonreligious people to date. We had more than 34,000 non-religious people participate in this ambitious survey to assess the priorities, needs, and issues nonreligious people face in their daily lives. The survey was conducted between October 15th and November 2nd, 2019.
The data collected through the U.S. Secular Survey will be used to benefit the entire secular movement by giving organizations the tools to better our advocacy, meet the needs of our communities, and seek the funding we need to fulfill our missions.
Although the U.S. Secular Survey was a project of American Atheists, many other secular organizations are participating by helping to spread awareness about the survey and encouraging their members to participate.
Who participated in the U.S. Secular Survey?
Anyone who identifies as an atheist, agnostic, humanist, freethinker, skeptics, as secular or nonreligious, or a similar identity and who resides in the United States was invited to take the U.S. Secular Survey.
For more information about the U.S. Secular Survey participants, see the “About the Sample” section in the Reality Check report.
This survey was not a membership survey for American Atheists or any other secular organization — instead, our goal was to spread this survey as widely as possible and to encourage nonreligious people of all identities to participate.
We thank the nearly 34,000 people who participated in the Secular Survey!
Was the U.S. Secular Survey anonymous?
Yes! The survey did not capture any personal identifying information, and the data that is reported was filtered to protect the anonymity of all participants.
What was the goal of the U.S. Secular Survey?
Previously, the lack of data about nonreligious people has limited the ability of the secular movement to advocate for civil rights, to understand the challenges we face in our daily lives, to seek grant funding to benefit our communities, and to establish programs to meet community needs.
For example, we previously lacked the data to answer basic questions about our communities such as:
How often are young nonreligious people rejected by their families?
How many are openly nonreligious in their daily lives?
Do nonreligious people face discrimination in the workplace? At school?
Unlike other demographics based on race, gender, or sexual orientation, federal surveys do not capture data about our communities — so the goal of the U.S. Secular Survey was to gather this essential data ourselves!
By understanding the priorities, needs, and issues nonreligious people face in their daily lives, secular movement will have the tools to better our advocacy, meet the needs of our communities, and seek the funding we need to fulfill our missions.
What will you do with the data collected through the survey?
The data was initially used to create the Reality Check report. American Atheists, along with partner organizations, will issue additional reports in the future using this data. Moreover, in the coming months, we intend to make the data available to researchers and organizational partners in order to benefit the secular movement and all nonreligious people.
Was this a scientific survey?
Yes. The U.S. Secular Survey was created and managed by a team of researchers from Strength in Numbers Consulting Group. These researchers analyzed the survey results to help create the Reality Check report.
Unlike some other surveys which collect demographic data about religion, such as the Pew Research Center and PRRI, the U.S. Secular Survey focused on a deeper analysis of the lived experiences of nonreligious people. To meet these goals with the resources available, the U.S. Secular Survey used a convenience sample rather than a population survey.
How can I support this research?
As you can imagine, a data collection effort on this scale can be expensive. We appreciate any assistance you can provide. You can support the U.S. Secular Survey and Reality Check by making a tax-deductible gift.
Our original goal was to collect 5,000-10,000 responses. We closed the survey with about 34,000 responses. This greatly exceeded our goals and also our budget. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift today to support the U.S. Secular Survey, the Reality Check report, and the publication of future reports.
Which organizations are participating in the U.S. Secular Survey?
Please see the about page for a full listing of all participating organizations.