Changes

The current [[Atheism|atheist]] population mostly resides in East Asia (particularly China) and in secular Europe/Australia primarily among whites.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/23/a-surprising-map-of-where-the-worlds-atheists-live/ A surprising map of where the world’s atheists live], By Max Fisher and Caitlin Dewey, ''Washington Post'', May 23, 2013</ref> See: [[Western atheism and race]] and [[Asian atheism]]

The current [[Atheism|atheist]] population mostly resides in East Asia (particularly China) and in secular Europe/Australia primarily among whites.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/23/a-surprising-map-of-where-the-worlds-atheists-live/ A surprising map of where the world’s atheists live], By Max Fisher and Caitlin Dewey, ''Washington Post'', May 23, 2013</ref> See: [[Asian atheism]] and [[European atheism and 21st century decline]] and [[Western atheism and race]]  

In respect to the '''atheist population''' of the world, there have been many studies in regards to the atheist demographics and in regards to the percentage of atheists in various geographic areas.  Concerning the atheist population as a percentage of various countries' populations, specific research on atheists conducted in 2006 [http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131 suggests] that the true proportion of atheists is 4% in the United States, 17% in Great Britain and 32% in France.  However, how one defines atheist can skew the results of polls (see: [[Definition of atheism]]). For example, in 2008, the American Religious Indentification Survey (ARIS) reported 1.6% of Americans self-identified themselves as atheists. <ref>http://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf</ref>  In 2007, Pew Forum estimated that 1.6% of Americans are atheists.<ref>[http://religions.pewforum.org/reports Pew Forum - 2007 - Key findings on religious belief in America]</ref>

In respect to the '''atheist population''' of the world, there have been many studies in regards to the atheist demographics and in regards to the percentage of atheists in various geographic areas.  Concerning the atheist population as a percentage of various countries' populations, specific research on atheists conducted in 2006 [http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131 suggests] that the true proportion of atheists is 4% in the United States, 17% in Great Britain and 32% in France.  However, how one defines atheist can skew the results of polls (see: [[Definition of atheism]]). For example, in 2008, the American Religious Indentification Survey (ARIS) reported 1.6% of Americans self-identified themselves as atheists. <ref>http://b27.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/AmericanReligionSurvey-ARIS/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf</ref>  In 2007, Pew Forum estimated that 1.6% of Americans are atheists.<ref>[http://religions.pewforum.org/reports Pew Forum - 2007 - Key findings on religious belief in America]</ref>