Study into national character of Australia's active atheists

August 8, 2016
by Mark Smith

As Australians prepare to nominate their chosen religious beliefs in the national census, a Western Sydney University researcher is looking into an ambitious section of Australian religious society - active atheism.

Active atheists are people who actively participate in pro-atheist organisations, many of which advocate on behalf of non-believers, such as the Atheist Foundation of Australia.

PhD candidate Rhys Gower, from the Religion and Society Research Cluster at WSU, says the last census indicated just under a quarter of Australians are non-religious, and that number may rise in the upcoming 2016 census.

"A number of Australian active atheist groups are taking a great interest in the upcoming census, as seen in the Atheist Foundation of Australia's 'Mark No Religion' campaign," he says.

http://phys.org/news/2016-08-national-character-australia-atheists.html#jCp