The Differences Between Atheists and Agnostics: A Comparison of Various Attitudes

Year 2023, Issue: 16, 111 - 129, 30.12.2023

Kenan Sevinç

https://doi.org/10.53112/tudear.1366814

Abstract

Many studies show that there are different types of nonbelief. Some of them define atheism and agnosticism as two different types of nonbelief, while others see agnosticism as a form of atheism. This paper deals with the differences in attitudes of atheists and agnostics on various issues. In order to detect this difference, the dataset of “International Social Survey Programme: Religion IV (ZA7570_v2.1.0)” on religion and values was used. The data were downloaded from gesis.org and analyzed. Survey data were collected by GESIS (n=46267) from 33 countries between 2017 and 2020. The number of atheists and agnostics is 11759 (58.4% atheist). The two groups were compared in terms of demographics, attitudes towards religion, sexual attitudes, political preference, trust in science, and happiness. The results of the analysis show that atheists and agnostics have different attitudes on many issues and that atheists are more true believers than agnostics.

Keywords

nonbelief, atheist, agnostic, attitudes, difference

Ethical Statement

In this study, the dataset of “International Social Survey Programme: Religion IV (ZA7570_v2.1.0)” on religion and values was used. The data were downloaded from ISSP website (gesis.org) and analyzed with the permission of GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences.

Ateistler ve Agnostikler Arasındaki Farklar: Çeşitli Tutumların Karşılaştırılması

Abstract

Birçok çalışma inançsızlığın farklı türlerinin olduğunu göstermektedir. Bazı çalışmaları ateizm ve agnostisizmi inançsızlığın iki farklı türü olarak tanımlarken, bazıları agnostisizmi ateizmin bir türü olarak görmektedir. Bu makale ateistlerin ve agnostiklerin çeşitli konulardaki tutum farklılıklarını ele almaktadır. Bu farklılığın tespiti amacıyla “International Social Survey Programme: Religion IV (ZA7570_v2.1.0)”in din ve değerlere ilişkin veri seti kullanılmıştır. Veriler gesis.org'dan indirilmiş ve analiz edilmiştir. Anket verileri GESİS (n=46267) tarafından 2017-2020 yılları arasında 33 ülkeden toplanmıştır. Ateist ve agnostiklerin sayısı 11759'dur (%58,4 ateist). İki grup demografik özellikler, dine yönelik tutumlar, cinsel tutumlar, siyasi tercih, bilime güven ve mutluluk düzeyi açısından karşılaştırılmıştır. Analiz sonuçları, ateistlerin ve agnostiklerin birçok konuda farklı tutumlara sahip olduğunu ve ateistlerin agnostiklere göre daha kesin inançlı olduklarını göstermektedir.

Keywords

inançsızlık, ateist, agnostik, tutumlar, fark

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