According to a new study, it’s a myth that atheists are an especially angry bunch. (Grumpy? Maybe.)
Atheists are often portrayed in the media and elsewhere as angry individuals. Although atheists disagree with the pillar of many religions, namely the existence of a God, it may not necessarily be the case that they are angry individuals. The prevalence and accuracy of angry-atheist perceptions were examined in 7 studies with 1,677 participants from multiple institutions and locations in the United States. None of these studies supported the idea that atheists are particularly angry individuals. Rather, these results support the idea that people believe atheists are angry individuals, but they do not appear to be angrier than other individuals in reality.
So I guess atheists are a bit more Stephen Fry than Christopher Hitchens.
HT hbd chick.
It’s a pretty simple bias… visible ‘Atheists’ are the people screaming about being atheists and not the people that just happen to be atheists.
Happens with every group with a vocal minority.