Nonbelievers’ beliefs about religion in China

• Xiaojuan Jing

  Chinese Academy of Science

In China nonbelievers are showing an increasing interest in religion whereas believers in the rest of the world are being less influenced by religion. I investigated what nonbelievers know about religion within Chinese society. Data collection was via random sampling among university students across 16 provinces in China. I evaluated data from 638 respondents about their self-reported beliefs using the religiosity subscale of the Social Axiom Survey. The results indicated that Chinese nonbelievers take a neutral stance as to the existence of a Supreme Being or the positive consequences of having religious beliefs. The neutrality of nonbelievers’ beliefs about religion may be affected by the coincidence of the development of religion and Chinese religious culture. The findings in this study will enrich understanding of nonbelievers’ views regarding religion in the Chinese culture and help to generate more, and more meaningful, dialogue between believers and nonbelievers.

1. Xiaojuan Jing, Chinese Academy of Science
   Graduate School and Institute of Psychology

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