Atheists: Americaâ..s most distrusted minority

Americanâ..s increasing acceptance of religious diversity doesnâ..t extend to those who donâ..t believe in a god, according to a national survey by researchers in the University of Minnesotaâ..s department of sociology.
From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in â..sharing their vision of American society.â. Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.
Even though atheists are few in number, not formally organized and relatively hard to publicly identify, they are seen as a threat to the American way of life by a large portion of the American public. â..Atheists, who account for about 3 percent of the U.S. population, offer a glaring exception to the rule of increasing social tolerance over the last 30 years,â. says Penny Edgell, associate sociology professor and the studyâ..s lead researcher.
Atheists identified as Americaâ..s most distrusted minority, according to new U of M study : News Releases: UMNnews: U of M.

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