Richard Cimino and Christopher Smith are currently conducting research on the "new atheism," as represented by such best-selling books by Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion), Christopher Hitchens (god is Not Great), Sam Harris (The End of Faith) and Daniel Dennett (Breaking the Spell), and Bill Maher's film Religulous. They are interested in discovering how atheists, freethinkers and secular humanists views on these books and film. This research will be used in  writing a chapter on the new atheism for a forthcoming book on this topic to be published by Brill. They will not use participants' real names or share any personal information (such as e-mail addresses). They would greatly appreciate it if you could take a few minutes and provide some of your thoughts on the new atheism. Partial answers are acceptable.
 
Thank you for your consideration and interest. Please respond via e-mail (copy & paste the survey below) by February 15th.
 
Richard Cimino and Christopher Smith,
New School for Social Research
 
cimir315@newschool.edu
 
chris_schmitt4@yahoo.com


Questions about the new atheism

1) Have you read the books by the so-called "new atheists"? Which
ones?

2) Which is your favorite? Why?

3) Which is your least favorite? Why?

4) Has reading these books or watching such a film as "Religulous" changed your views or understandings of atheism? (Yes/No)

5) If so, in what ways have your own views changed?

6) Has the fact that these books are best-sellers and are widely featured in the media (and on-line) given you a greater sense of acceptance or support in society? (Yes/No)

7) Do you think reading these books and/or watching this film has changed
theists views and ideas about atheism and atheists in a more favorable or less
favorable direction?
    a) More favorable b) Less favorable c) No change

 8) Because of these books/films and their popular reception, are you more likely or less likely to say you are an atheist? Or has there been no change?
     a) More likely b) Less likely? c) No change

9) If you answered "less likely" in the last question, is there another designation you have used to describe your views since the "new atheist" phenomenon started? If so, what is this designation?

10) Have you recommended these books to friends, colleagues, family members who are not atheists/secular humanists? (Yes/No)

11) Have you noticed new people becoming involved in your particular humanist group since these books/film have been published/released? (Yes/No)

12) Has your particular humanist organization recommended or studied these books as a group? (Yes/No)

13) Does the internet inform your atheism? If so, how?

14) Has on-line blogs, forums and/ or particular websites played a role in your understanding or "practice" of atheism? How about television?
 
15) The media has made much of the "nasty" attitude of new atheism (causing some secular groups to distinguish themselves from 'this type of atheism' in print and on-line). Do you have any opinions on this?

16) In conclusion, how do you think these books and the film will affect the perception of atheists/secular humanists in the U.S.?