Largest Survey on Nonreligious Americans Reveals Widespread Discrimination and Stigma Especially Against Latinos
Cranford, NJ—May 5, 2020—Today, the nonreligious identity organization American Atheists released Reality Check: Being Nonreligious in America, a comprehensive report drawn from the groundbreaking U.S. Secular Survey. Counting nearly 34,000 nonreligious participants and organized by a team of researchers at Strength in Numbers Consulting Group, the U.S. Secular Survey is the largest ever data collection project on secular Americans and their experiences.
“At 75 million people, religiously unaffiliated Americans are as large a demographic as either Evangelical Christians or Catholics, and explicitly nonreligious people comprise a growing share of the population, yet before the U.S. Secular Survey there had been a lack of focused research on our community,” said Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists, who helped lead the project. “What we found shocked us. Discrimination and stigma against nonreligious Americans is widespread and extremely harmful.”
Due to their nonreligious identity, more than half of participants (54.5%) had negative experiences with family members, nearly one third (29.4%) in education, and more than one in five (21.7%) in the workplace.
“Latino nonbelievers are an important part of the nonreligious community, and, with changing demographics, our presence will only become more important,” said David Tamayo, founder and president of Hispanic American Freethinkers, which contributed to outreach for the U.S. Secular Survey. “The experiences of Latinos are distinct.”
Latino participants were 77.3% more likely to be physically assaulted for their nonreligious beliefs. In addition, a larger number of Latino participants reported negative experiences related to being nonreligious within their families (61.6% vs. 54.2% of non-Latinos). Participants who experienced discrimination within their families had a 73.3% higher rate of likely depression.
“The struggles of nonreligious Americans, especially Latinos, are far too often overlooked. Thankfully, the U.S. Secular Survey has revealed the discrimination our diverse community regularly faces,” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “With that well-established, we need to find solutions and work toward ending the stigma that leads to that discrimination.”
The report found that involvement with organized secular community groups is an important protective factor that correlated with reduced likelihood of loneliness and depression. Members of national secular organizations were 34.8% less likely than non-members to be at risk for depression, while members of local secular groups were 29.3% less likely.
“With the importance of secular organizations clearly demonstrated, Hispanic American Freethinkers and American Atheists must step in and provide nonreligious Latinos with the resources and community that help them thrive,” added Tamayo.
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If you have questions about Reality Check: Being Nonreligious in America or the U.S. Secular Survey, our team is happy to connect you to our experts, researchers, and nonreligious people across the country who have compelling, unique stories to tell.
If you’re a member of the media and would like to get in touch with us, please reach out to Tom Van Denburgh, American Atheists’ Communications Director, by emailing tvandenburgh@atheists.org or by calling (862) 221-6547.
About Us
The U.S. Secular Survey and Reality Check: Being Nonreligious in America are projects of American Atheists, a national civil rights group that represents the interests of atheists and nonreligious people in the United States. The survey and report were produced in collaboration with Strength in Numbers Consulting Group, a progressive research, evaluation, and strategy firm.