Survey Shows Global Atheists on the Rise

[US *Christian Science Monitor* website, August 15, 2012 report] Headline: Global Atheism on the Rise

【美国《基督教科学箴言报》网站2012年8月15日报道】题：全球无神论者增多

A new global survey has found that atheists are increasing in the United States and other regions, while the religiously devout are declining.

一项新的全球调查发现，美国和其他地区的无神论者在增加，而笃信宗教者在减少。

A survey by the Swiss branch of Gallup Consulting found that the proportion of Americans who describe themselves as religiously devout fell from 73% in 2005 to 60% now, while the proportion who describe themselves as firm atheists rose from 1% to 5%. 33% of Americans said they do not consider themselves "religious people."

盖洛普咨询公司瑞士分公司的一项调查发现，自称笃信宗教的美国人从2 0 0 5年的7 3%下降到了现在的60%，自称为坚定的无神论者的美国人则从1%增加到了5%。33%的美国人说，他们认为自己不是“信教人士”。

Ryan Cragun, a sociologist of religion at the University of Tampa, said he doubts whether the number of American atheists has actually grown as the survey suggests. Cragun indicated that some people may simply feel more comfortable calling themselves atheists.

坦帕大学研究宗教的社会学家赖恩•克雷贡说，他怀疑美国无神论者的数量是否真的如调查所显示的那样出现了增长。克雷贡表示，有些人说自己是无神论者会觉得更舒服。

This view appears consistent with a study by the Pew Research Center. Data released in 2009 by its Forum on Religion & Public Life showed that at that time 5% of Americans said they did not believe in God or a universal spirit, but only 24% of non-religious people called themselves atheists.

这个观点似乎同皮尤研究中心的一项研究一致。该中心宗教和公共生活论坛2009年公布的数据显示，当时有5%的美国人说，他们不相信上帝或万能的神灵，但是仅有24%的非宗教人士称自己为无神论者。

Gallup's new survey interviewed more than 50,000 people in 57 countries. It asked respondents: "Regardless of whether you attend a place of worship, would you say you are a religious person, not a religious person, or a convinced atheist?"

盖洛普的新调查采访了57个国家的5万多人。它询问受访者这样一个问题：“无论你是否去过礼拜场所，你会说你是信教者、不是信教者还是坚定的无神论者？”

The United States still ranks low on the list of atheist countries. China tops the list with 47% "convinced atheists," followed by Japan (31%), the Czech Republic (30%), France (29%), and South Korea (15%).

美国在无神论国家的榜单中依然排名靠后。中国有着47%的“坚定的无神论者”而位居榜首，然后是日本(31%)，捷克(30%)，法国(29%)和韩国(15%)。

According to the survey, the top 10 most religious countries are: Ghana (96% religious), Nigeria (93%), Armenia (92%), Fiji (92%), Macedonia (90%), Romania (89%), Iraq (88%), Kenya (88%), Peru (86%), and Brazil (85%).

根据这项调查，以下是排名前10位的信教国家：加纳(96%的人信教)，尼日利亚(93%)，亚美尼亚(92%)，斐济(9 2%)，马其顿(9 0%)，罗马尼亚(89%)，伊拉克(88%)，肯尼亚(88%)，秘鲁(86%)和巴西(85%)。

The survey shows that the countries with the fewest religious believers are China (14% say they are religious), Japan (16%), the Czech Republic (20%), Turkey (23%), Sweden (29%), Vietnam (30%), Australia (37%), France (37%), and Austria (42%).

调查显示，信教者最少的国家是中国(1 4%的人说他们信教)，日本(16%)，捷克(20%)，土耳其(23%)，瑞典(2 9%)，越南(3 0%)，澳大利亚(37%)，法国(37%)和奥地利(42%)。

[US *Washington Post* website, August 14, 2012 report] Headline: Survey Shows Atheism on the Rise in the United States

【美国《华盛顿邮报》网站2012年8月14日报道】题：调查显示无神论在美国呈上升趋势

According to the latest survey conducted globally, the number of religious believers in the United States is declining, while atheists are increasing.

据一项在全球范围内进行的最新调查显示，美国境内的宗教信徒人数在减少，而无神论者在增加。

This survey, called the "Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism," found that the number of Americans who say they are "religious" is decreasing, from 73% in 2005 to 60%.

这项名为“全球宗教信仰和无神论指数”的调查发现，说自己“信教”的美国人数量在减少，比例从2005年的73%减少到60%。

Ryan Cragun, a sociologist at the University of Tampa who studies religion, said: "Clearly, this is a manifestation of the new atheist movement."

坦帕大学研究宗教问题的社会学家赖恩?克雷贡说：“很显然，这是新无神论运动的一个表现。”

But he does not believe the survey shows that more people are becoming atheists. In his view, it means more people are willing to describe themselves as atheists.

但他不认为调查表明越来越多的人正在成为无神论者。在他看来，这意味着更多人愿意把自己说成是无神论者。

He stated: "For a long time, religious belief was a major characteristic representing American identity. But judging from the survey results, this situation is changing. People are no longer as inclined as they once were to label themselves as religious in order to fit the image of a 'good person.'"

他表示：“在很长一段时间里，宗教信仰是代表美国人身份的一个主要特征。但从调查结果来看，这种情况正在发生改变。人们不再像过去那样倾向于给自己打上信教的标志，以符合‘好人’的形象。”

Another possible factor may be the organized campaigns launched by American atheist organizations to encourage those who do not believe in God to speak out publicly.

另一个可能的因素也许是美国无神论组织正在发起有组织的行动，鼓励那些不信上帝的人公开表态。

Online editor: Jia Fei

网络编辑：嘉扉