New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that atheists in some of the world’s most secular countries show an intuitive preference for religious belief over atheism.
The study, by academics at Brunel University of London, Royal Holloway, University of London, and other institutions, was conducted across eight countries with low levels of religion, Canada, China, Czechia, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, the U.K., and Vietnam. It provides compelling cross-cultural experimental evidence that pro-religious intuitions happen even in societies that have become largely secular.
Using a simple task based on the “Knobe effect,” the researchers examined how people infer intentionality in circumstances where a person’s actions knowingly caused individuals to either become religious believers or atheists.
The Knobe effect is a well-established psychological phenomenon demonstrating that people are more likely to attribute intentionality to an action with harmful (versus helpful) consequences.
Across all countries, participants were more likely to judge that an action knowingly causing a shift toward atheism was intentional, suggesting people intuitively see religious belief as preferable.
Notably, even self-identified atheists exhibited this.
Dr. Will Gervais, from Brunel University of London, who led the study, said, “Even in societies where explicit religious belief has rapidly declined, the idea that belief, in itself is good, appears to persist at an intuitive level.
“Belief might be on the decline in many places, but belief in the goodness of belief lives on.”
Professor Ryan McKay from the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London, who contributed to the study, added, “This research suggests that the legacy of religious influence endures in ways we might not expect.
“Even in highly secular environments, people—including nonbelievers—seem to harbor a preference for belief over atheism.”
The study offers new insights into the evolving landscape of religious and secular belief, challenging the assumption that cultural shifts away from religion necessarily erase pro-religious intuitions.
Professor McKay concluded, “Our work suggests that secularization may be a more complex process than previously thought. While explicit religious belief may be fading, underlying intuitions favoring belief could persist for generations.”
More information:
Will M. Gervais et al, Belief in belief: Even atheists in secular countries show intuitive preferences favoring religious belief, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2404720122
Provided by
Royal Holloway, University of London
Citation:
Even atheists in secular countries show intuitive preferences for religious belief (2025, March 28)
