WASHINGTON (RNS)—More than half of atheists and agnostics think “radical Christianity” is just as threatening in the United States as “radical Islam,” a new study reveals.
The Barna Group, a Ventura, Calif.-based research firm, found 56 percent of atheists and agnostics agree with that view. The firm, which often looks at opinions of religious Americans, delved into the beliefs of people of no faith and compared them to religious adults over a two-year period.
Researchers found the proportion of atheists and agnostics increases with each younger generation. They make up 6 percent of Elders (those 61 and older); 9 percent of Boomers (ages 42-60); 14 percent of Busters (ages 23-41) and 19 percent of people between 18 and 22.
People of no faith tend to be younger and more often are male and unmarried, researchers found. They are less likely to be registered to vote (78 percent versus 89 percent of believers). They also are less likely to serve or personally help a poor or homeless person (41 percent versus 61 percent of believers).
Researchers also found these disparate groups had some commonalities. They were equally as likely to consider themselves to be good citizens, as placing their family first, and as being reliable and loyal individuals.
The findings were based on a series of nationwide telephone surveys between January 2005 and January 2007. The studies included a total of 1,055 adults who identified themselves as agnostics or atheists, giving the overall sample a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
The cumulative sample of 3,011 adults with an active faith had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.