Is Atheism Increasing at the Expense of Theism?

Is Atheism Increasing at the Expense of Theism?

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Gregory Paul, an independent paleontologist and researcher who examines the relationship between religion and society, writes:

In recent years, there has been lots of discussion and debate about whether atheism or theism is on the rise around the world. A good deal of the answer can be found in results from the International Social Survey Program. In its Religion II survey conducted in 1998 and Religion III survey sampled in 2008 and just released, the ISSP asked the same set of questions in 28 countries, allowing assessment of gross longitudinal trends over a decade.

Of the 28 countries sampled, in 20 of them theism is recorded as losing ground to atheism, by at least some degree, going from 1998 to 2008. This is mainly because this pattern is observed in 12 of the 16 First World democracies.