Atheist distrust stems specifically from moral distrust, not fear or disgust

Evidence

We found repeatedly, using a variety of methods, that there is a specific threat that atheists are perceived to pose. That threat is moral distrust. It is not fear or disgust, and not general feelings of dislike. In short, freethinkers are seen as freeriders. Moreover, we found that the single most powerful predictor of atheist distrust is religious belief. In contrast, when it comes to ethnic or racial prejudice, belief in God is not a reliable predictor and may under some conditions be associated with less prejudice (if more coalitional aspects of religious involvement, such as religious attendance or fundamentalist beliefs, which are related to more prejudice, are controlled for). — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 286

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s analytical frame: atheists perceived as freeriders maps directly onto the partner-choice and Big God mechanisms central to the research project.