Participate in Research on Atheism and Nonreligion
Atheists and other nonreligious individuals
have
been understudied by the social sciences.
The Center for Atheist Research
was founded to address this omission, and seeks to give individuals
across the (non)religious spectrum the chance to contribute
their perspective on topics within the sociology and psychology of
atheism and nonreligion by participating in Internet-accessible academic research. Stay up to date on research participation opportunities with New Study Alerts.
Notice of Confidentiality: Participation
in any of the studies is completely voluntary and confidential, and you may drop out of them at any time. These studies all
comply with university institutional review board and U.S. government
guidelines for the protection of human subjects and your online
privacy.
Please select from among the current research studies:
Atheist Experience 2013
Data collection for this study planned for late 2013. All individuals over 18 years of age who do not hold a belief in god(s) will be eligible to participate in this study.
Beliefs and Personality
Data collection for this study now complete.
All individuals over 18 years of age were eligible to participate in this
study. This study investigated how personality characteristics relate to beliefs.
Military Spiritual Fitness Training
Data collection for this study now complete. U.S.
Military Personnel and Veterans of all backgrounds were eligible to
participate in this study. The Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program includes a training module designed to enhance military personnel's "spiritual fitness". This study investigated the perceived usefulness of this training.
Civilian Spiritual Fitness Training
Data collection for this study now complete.Individuals of all backgrounds who have not worked for the U.S. Military wereeligible to
participate in this study. This study was a companion study to the Military Spiritual Fitness Training study (see above). This study investigated the perceived
usefulness of the Army's Spiritual Fitness training.
Military Secular/Spiritual Well-Being
Data collection for this study now complete. U.S. Military Personnel and Veterans of all backgrounds were eligible to participate in this study. The Army is measuring the "spiritual fitness" of troops with the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program's Global Assessment Tool. This study investigated the validity of this "spiritual fitness" Tool, and the secular/spiritual well-being of U.S. Military Personnel and Veterans.
Civilian Secular/Spiritual Well-Being
Data collection for this study now complete. Individuals of all backgrounds who have not worked for the U.S. Military were eligible to
participate in this study. This study was a companion study to the Military Secular/Spiritual Well-Being study (see above). This study investigated the validity
of this "spiritual fitness" Tool as well as the secular/spiritual well-being
of civilians.
The Health and Social Well-Being of Nonreligious Women
Data collection for this study now complete. Women who identify as nonreligious were eligible to participate in this study. This study investigated the health, psychological and social characteristics of women from nonreligious backgrounds.
The Atheist/Bright/Secular Humanist Experience
Data collection for this study now complete. Those who consider themselves atheists/brights/secular humanists were eligible to participate in this study. This study explored their experiences as secular individuals in a world populated by religious individuals who may not be comfortable with naturalistic worldviews. Study results have been published (see Publications page).
Your Perspective On Those Who Do Not Believe
Data collection for this study is now complete. Those who consider themselves spiritual or religious were eligible to participate in this study. In this quick survey, participants had the opportunity to share their perspective on those who do not believe in a Higher Power.
A note regarding the limitations of quantitative survey research: Center surveys often ask forced-choice questions (e.g., "On a scale of 1 to 5...") to allow for more complex statistical analysis. However, the disadvantage of these types of questions is that nuance and context is much harder to capture. If you ever find yourself wanting to provide additional information beyond what a forced choice question will allow you to provide, please understand that we can relate to your frustration! However, all research approaches have strengths and weaknesses, and this is an inescapable limitation of the forced-choice approach. We thank you in advance for understanding!
