Outgroup prevalence reduces distrust-based prejudice even as it raises fear-based prejudice

Evidence

Gervais found converging evidence to support this prediction. First, across nations, anti-atheist prejudice among believers was reduced where atheists are more numerous, even after controlling for important individual and international differences, such as conservatism, human development, and individualism. Second, in a Canadian university sample, anti-atheist prejudice was reduced among believers who thought that atheists were more common, and this was the case especially among the most deeply religious participants. Last, it was found that experimentally induced reminders of how common atheists are statistically eliminated anti-atheist prejudice. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 312 (#expands, via linked claim)

Perhaps believers, who may avoid expressing negative attitudes toward other ethnic or racial outgroups, have less concern when it comes to atheists. Anti-atheist prejudice, unlike prejudice against racial or religious minorities, could be a socially accepted prejudice in America. But that would push the question further back—why would this prejudice be socially acceptable? Moreover, these polls predict voting behavior with a reasonably high degree of accuracy. Voters in the United States have never elected an openly atheist president. Judging from the rarity of self-declared atheists holding political office in America, the polls might, if anything, underestimate how widespread the rejection of atheists is. Finally, in our own experimental research, we find that believers in the United States and Canada distrust atheists even when we use subtle and indirect measures of distrust and prejudice that sidestep some of the problems of survey research. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 232 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Perceived atheist prevalence directly reduces anti-atheist prejudice across nations and experiments — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 312; Cross-national correlations cannot establish causal direction for atheist distrust; Anti-atheist prejudice is socially accepted while racial prejudice is not — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 232 (+1 more)

Related

• Anti-atheist prejudice stems from trust concerns, not xenophobia or outgroup dislike (similarity 0.89)
• An unlikely mechanism reduces atheist distrust even among believers (similarity 0.89)
• Cross-national correlations cannot establish causal direction for atheist distrust (similarity 0.89)
• Perceived atheist prevalence directly reduces anti-atheist prejudice across nations and experiments (similarity 0.87)
• Anti-atheist exclusion rises when trust matters critically in a role (similarity 0.86)
• Anti-atheist prejudice is socially accepted while racial prejudice is not (similarity 0.85)
• Belief-centered religions generate more prejudice against atheists than practice-centered ones (similarity 0.84)
• Distrust of atheists depends on perceiving them as rare, not merely immoral. (similarity 0.83)
• Religiosity does not moderate fear of atheists the way it moderates racial views (similarity 0.83)
• Nonbelievers show mild trust toward believers while believers trust only their own (similarity 0.82)
• Atheism is perceived as a public threat to cooperation, not a private belief (similarity 0.82)
• Distrust of atheists exceeds what warmth and competence stereotypes alone predict (similarity 0.81)
• Atheist distrust stems specifically from moral distrust, not fear or disgust (similarity 0.81)
• Religious belief strongly predicts distrust of atheists (similarity 0.81)
• Prejudice toward groups rises with their local prevalence when fear drives it. (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Perceived atheist prevalence directly reduces anti-atheist prejudice across nations and experiments #expands (0.85) — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 312
• Anti-atheist prejudice is socially accepted while racial prejudice is not #expands (0.75) — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 232
• Cross-national correlations cannot establish causal direction for atheist distrust #complicates (0.72)
• Collective fears can reshape group behavior in ambiguous situations. #expands (0.72) — Cohen, Stanley, Folk devils and moral panics, 647