Atheism and suffering
On a societal level, there is generally an inverse relationship between atheism and suffering. In third world countries, for example, where there is a lot of poverty, individuals adopting atheism is rare/infrequent. On the other hand, in communist China, where there was (and still is) atheist indoctrination, atheism was common even when there was poverty in post 1949 China.
Currently, there is a growth of evangelical Christianity in irreligious/nonreligious reasons. For example, in China, there is an explosive growth of evangelical Christianity. Evangelical Christianity often grows fast in areas where there is social/economic instability.[1] Many people turn to God/religion in times of trouble. At the same time, Protestantism is positively correlated with economic/societal progress (see: Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism).
