A common stereotype suggests that atheists are untrustworthy and lack a moral compass. But a new study published in PLOS One challenges this notion.
Researchers delved into the relationship between moral values and religious belief or disbelief, conducting surveys with 4,622 participants from the US and Sweden to gain insight.
Key Findings
Shared Moral Concerns
Both atheists and religious people share many of the same moral concerns.
They both care deeply about fairness and protecting vulnerable individuals from harm.
Study author Tomas Ståhl from the University of Illinois at Chicago emphasized that atheists indeed possess a moral compass, dispelling the myth that belief in God is necessary for morality.
Negative Stereotypes Persist
Despite these shared values, negative stereotypes about atheists remain widespread.
A 2019 Pew poll revealed that 45% of people across 34 countries believe that faith in God is essential for morality and good values.
Additionally, a 2020 Gallup poll found that only 60% of Americans would vote for an atheist presidential candidate, compared to 95% for a Catholic candidate and 93% for a Jewish candidate.
Details of the Study
Survey Methodology
The study involved four separate surveys to examine moral values and religiosity:
Amazon’s Mechanical Turk Surveys
The first two surveys used Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform to gather responses from hundreds of US residents.
These surveys found no significant relationship between religiosity and amoral tendencies or endorsement of Liberty/oppression.
Both atheists and religious individuals highly valued care and fairness.
However, atheists showed a weaker endorsement of binding moral foundations such as authority, sanctity, and in-group loyalty.
Larger Surveys in the US and Sweden
The latter two surveys expanded the scope, involving thousands of participants from the US, a predominantly religious country, and Sweden, a highly secular nation.
The results mirrored the earlier findings, reinforcing the notion that atheists and religious people share many core moral values but prioritize them differently.
Exploring the Differences
Moral Foundations Theory
The study examined participants’ endorsement of the five foundations of Moral Foundations Theory: Care/harm, Fairness/cheating, Loyalty/betrayal, Authority/subversion, and Sanctity/degradation.
Atheists were found to have a stronger focus on individualizing moral foundations like care and fairness, making moral judgments based on the consequences of actions on a case-by-case basis.
In contrast, religious individuals were more likely to emphasize binding moral foundations, which promote group cohesion and respect for authority.
Influences on Religious Belief
Researchers also investigated factors influencing religious belief, such as credibility-enhancing displays and perception of existential threat.
Credibility-enhancing displays involve influential community members engaging in religious behaviors that would be costly if their beliefs were false.
The study found that lower exposure to such displays, a reduced perception of existential threats, and a more analytical cognitive style were associated with a lack of religious belief.
Conclusion
The study’s findings support the idea that atheists have a moral compass comparable to that of religious individuals.
However, atheists are more likely to evaluate the morality of actions based on their consequences, while religious people often emphasize values that enhance group cohesion.
As Tomas Ståhl notes, “Atheism merely implies the absence of religious belief, and says nothing about what positive beliefs the disbeliever holds.”
This research challenges the stereotype that atheists are inherently immoral, highlighting that both atheists and religious people possess strong moral principles, albeit with different emphases.