Demographics
I have included some demographic statistics on /r/atheism using Alexa
The demographics of /r/atheism users are generally 18-34 years old, about 70% male, 30% female, and the majority are college graduates or currently in college. Most of these members also do not have children. Let’s look at the ethnic breakdown of this community. Source: Alexa
The community is significantly Caucasian and African American with few members from other ethnic backgrounds. Source: Alexa
There is an even income distribution with a slightly larger middle-income base. Screen Shot of Income Demographics. Source: Alexa
Now, let’s attempt to understand some qualitative attributes of this culture beginning with the notion that Reddit does have more college-educated than non college-educated students. A great quote I read on why Reddit has more atheists than any other community from Quora
Reddit has a more educated user base than an average sampling of people. In addition, the population of Reddit is global. Outside of the US, atheism is far more common. It is also possible for persecuted/ostracized minorities to band together via the Internet. Reddit allows for socializing outside of your geographic area, which can be particularly appealing to atheists who happen to live in the Bible Belt.
Because usernames are typically not real representations of identity, it is difficult to truly identify the individuals behind r/atheism. However, we can see based on the posts of individuals who do come out on r/atheism that many of them were of communities that were highly secular. Therefore, the internet has been key in connection individuals who otherwise would not be able to meet other atheists
r/atheism is also heavily influenced by gay rights that are denied based on religious claims.
