(Mis)perception of Morality between Believers and Nonbelievers in God

Abstract

There is a great deal of distrust of those who do not believe in God. For example, American voters report being less likely to vote for an atheist presidential candidate than a Black, Jew, Muslim, or homosexual (Edgell, Gerteis, & Hartmann, 2006). The present study was conducted to determine if distrust of nonbelievers is justified, given their lower moral standards, or is simply a view held by believers toward those who do not share their views.