My Atheist Polls

[Kylyssa]

I recently added some polls to my Squidoo Atheist pages - please check them out and vote in them if you have a chance.  And feel free to complain abut the poll results in the comments section, LOL.  Even though I know they exist it's still a bit icky to see proof that people are bigoted.

Is Atheism Incompatible With Charity?
Would You Support an Atheist Charity?
Should atheists be allowed to testify in court or hold public office?
Is It OK to Make Discriminatory Remarks Toward Atheists?
Would You Vote for an Atheist?

[Whitney]

I posted the poll to twitter and got this in reply to the one about atheist charities:

@HappyAtheist wrote I voted for "No." in the poll: Is Atheism Incompatible With Charity? http://tinyurl.com/yhpdcxz
@icomix wrote @HappyAtheist That's an ignorant poll. Who's Bill Gates again?
@HappyAtheist wrote.@iComix how can a poll question be ignorant? (it was created by an atheist)
@icomix wrote @HappyAtheist Well, it would demonstrate ignorance. A simple google search eliminates the need to ask such a question.
@HappyAtheist wrote .@iComix look at the context; it's to poll readers and raise awareness of secular charities.
@icomix wrote @HappyAtheist  And seeing as the poll was made on the internet...
@HappyAtheist wrote .@iComix your point?
@icomix wrote @HappyAtheist Fair enough.
@icomix wrote @HappyAtheist Just noting.

Damned freethinkers and their willingness to argue with everyone about everything  

[SSY]

Once the votes come in, would you be kind enough to fill us in? Is there any way to see the demographics at play?

[Kylyssa]

Once the votes come in, would you be kind enough to fill us in? Is there any way to see the demographics at play?

Unfortunately, the demographics are a mystery as the polls are open to any internet users.  But compared to actual phone surveys conducted by U of Minnesota (among others) the poll-takers are far less bigoted than the average American when it comes to atheists.

[Kylyssa]

I posted the poll to twitter and got this in reply to the one about atheist charities:

@HappyAtheist wrote I voted for "No." in the poll: Is Atheism Incompatible With Charity? http://tinyurl.com/yhpdcxz
@icomix wrote @HappyAtheist That's an ignorant poll. Who's Bill Gates again?
@HappyAtheist wrote.@iComix how can a poll question be ignorant? (it was created by an atheist)
@icomix wrote @HappyAtheist Well, it would demonstrate ignorance. A simple google search eliminates the need to ask such a question.
@HappyAtheist wrote .@iComix look at the context; it's to poll readers and raise awareness of secular charities.
@icomix wrote @HappyAtheist  And seeing as the poll was made on the internet...
@HappyAtheist wrote .@iComix your point?
@icomix wrote @HappyAtheist Fair enough.
@icomix wrote @HappyAtheist Just noting.

Damned freethinkers and their willingness to argue with everyone about everything  

Yep, the point of the polls is to illustrate the point that people are bigots.  Normal people are shocked to find out how many people actually think atheists are incapable of charity, don't deserve to hold public office, etc.  These polls are more for those folks to see that, yep, we aren't making this crap up, people really believe this bigoted junk and we get fallout from it.

I'm going to write a lens about whether or not atheists should be allowed to have children, work in daycares, or to hold teaching positions one of these days.  Again, to prove that some people really are bigoted when it comes to atheists.  You wouldn't believe the search terms that land people on my sites and lenses!  One that made me sick to my stomach was "can I file a cps report for parental atheism" - in case you didn't know, CPS refers to Child Protective Services.

[SSY]

Have you not skewed the results of your sample by posting it on atheist sites? I realise of course that any survey where only some people are targeted, and only some choose to take part will have a selection bias, but this must compound the problem? This may be why the results come out as less bigoted than other measures.

[Kylyssa]

Have you not skewed the results of your sample by posting it on atheist sites? I realise of course that any survey where only some people are targeted, and only some choose to take part will have a selection bias, but this must compound the problem? This may be why the results come out as less bigoted than other measures.

I'm positive it's skewed.  It's a catch 22.  If the poll gets taken a lot, the page raises in rank which causes the poll to be more visible which then causes more people to take the poll.  I've posted the polls here to try to prime the pump.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

And even though the polls come out skewed, enough bigots take the polls to illustrate that some folks are bigots when it comes to atheists.  In chatting with my theist friends I've found that they thought that close to no one would agree with the discriminatory options on the polls.  They were surprised to see how many people actually do choose those options.  

While these polls don't reflect the population at large (I think you have to take charge of a poll and choose who you survey to get a truly representative sample) they do show that assertions of bigotry against atheists do have a basis in fact.  It's not even close to being a scientific tool and it isn't intended to substitute for one.  It's an attempt to make average people aware of the attitudes that exist.

[SSY]

I see, you are of course right, the only acceptable number of discriminatory answers in those poles are zero, any number above that reflects the mistrust and ignorance prevalent in some societies.