View source for Canada and irreligion

== 2011 poll: Canadians and Americans distrust atheists as much as rapists ==

''See also:'' [[Distrust of atheists]] and [[Atheism and rape]] and [[Atheism and social outcasts]]
[[File:Women.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|Studies and web traffic data appear to indicate that women in the Western World tend to be more religious than men.<ref>Multiple references:
*Kosmin, Barry A., et al. (2008).  [https://web.archive.org/web/20110904110346/http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/reports/NONES_08.pdf "American nones:  Profile of the no religion population"].  American Religion Survey website [Trinity College, Hartford, CT].  Retrieved from Internet Archive.
*Britt, Robert Roy (February 28, 2009).  [http://www.livescience.com/7689-women-religious-men.html "Women more religious than men"].  Live Science website.</ref> See: [[Atheism and women]] ]] 
On December 10, 2011, USA Today reported in a story entitled ''Study: [[Atheism|Atheists]] distrusted as much as rapists'':
{{cquote|The study, conducted among 350 Americans adults and 420 Canadian college students, asked participants to decide if a fictional driver damaged a parked car and left the scene, then found a wallet and took the money, was the driver more likely to be a teacher, an atheist teacher, or a rapist teacher?

The participants, who were from religious and nonreligious backgrounds, most often chose the atheist teacher.

The study is part of an attempt to understand what needs religion fulfills in people. Among the conclusions is a sense of trust in others.

"People find atheists very suspect," Shariff said. "They don't fear God so we should distrust them; they do not have the same moral obligations of others. This is a common refrain against atheists. People fear them as a group."<ref name="USATodayviewsonatheists">[http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-12-10/religion-atheism/51777612/1 Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists]</ref>}}

See also:

*[[Irreligion and domestic violence]]

*[[Atheism and rape]]