“I am agnostic, not atheist”: The role of open-minded, prosocial, and believing dispositions

Abstract

ABSTRACT Does agnosticism versus atheism reflect only epistemic or deeper personality and other individual differences? Following a previous study in Belgium, we investigated this question among 537 UK adults, self-identified as Christian, agnostic, or atheist. Agnostics were midway between religionists and atheists on prosocial dispositions (agreeableness, belief in world’s benevolence), outcomes of intuitive thinking (paranormal beliefs, religiosity), and non-theistic forms of spirituality; and showed greater openness to experience and weaker convictional self-identification than atheists. Personality uniquely, beyond religious socialization, predicted agnosticism versus atheism. Spirituality denoted, across all three groups, connectedness with the world, interest in the paranormal, and life satisfaction; among nonbelievers, personal belief in a just-world; and prosocial dispositions and openness to experience among agnostics and Christians but not atheists.