ABSTRACT

Is believing that atheism is a choice related to prejudice against atheists? The present research draws on attributional models of prejudice to examine the relationship between perceptions that atheism is a choice and anti-atheist prejudice among Christians, Jews, and nonbelievers. We hypothesized that Christians would be more likely than Jews (Sample 1 and 3) and nonbelievers (Samples 1, 2, and 3) to believe atheism is a choice. Further, we hypothesized that the relationship between perceptions of choice and anti-atheist prejudice would be stronger among Christians than Jews and nonbelievers. In three samples of college students and U.S. adults (N = 859), Christians were more likely than others to believe atheism is a choice and perceptions of choice uniquely predicted Christians’ prejudice toward atheists. By examining perceptions of choice, our research reveals a novel source of anti-atheist prejudice, but a source with deep roots in the psychology of prejudice.

摘要

相信无神论是与对无神论者的偏见有关的选择吗？本研究利用偏见的归因模型来检验无神论是一种选择的观念与基督徒，犹太人和非信徒之间的无神论偏见之间的关系。我们假设，基督徒比犹太人（样本1和3）和非信徒（样本1、2和3）更有可能相信无神论是一种选择。此外，我们假设基督徒之间的选择观念和反无神论偏见之间的关系比犹太人和非信徒之间的关系更牢固。在三个大学生和美国成年人样本中（N = 859），基督徒比其他人更相信无神论是一种选择，而选择的观念独特地预示了基督徒对无神论者的偏见。通过检查选择感，