The Electability of Atheists in the United States

honors thesisCollege of Social & Behavioral SciencePolitical ScienceMark ButtonAtheists are severely underrepresented in United States public offices. This underrepresentation is obvious when evaluating the religious affiliation of our elected officials in Congress in contrast to the religious affiliations of the general public. The underrepresentation of atheists in Congress results in policies that ignore or oppose the group's interests, most prominently the separation of church and state. The lack of formal government representation for atheists is not only concerning politically but also has negative social implications such as the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes. This paper explores atheism in the United States by considering the religious composition of the U.S. Congress, examining research on the social acceptance of atheists, exploring the political consequences of being irreligious and analyzing membership experiences within atheist communities. The studies evaluated in this paper demonstrate that social discrimination against atheists-largely due to stereotypes of immorality and feelings of distrust-leads to underrepresentation in Congress