News & Events

Workers find widespread religious bias on Labor Day Weekend

Today, Tanenbaum released What American Workers Really Think About Religion: Tanenbaum’s 2013 Survey of American Workers and Religion. For a limited time, you can download the report for free. The results are striking:

  • Over half of employed Americans agree that there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims in the U.S.
     
  • One in three American workers have actually experienced or personally seen incidents of religious bias when they go to work.
     
  • Six in ten white evangelical Protestants agree that discrimination against Christians has become as big a problem as discrimination against other religious minorities.
     
  • 60% of atheists believe that people look down on their beliefs, as do nearly one-third of non-Christian religious workers (31%) and white evangelical Protestants (32%).

The survey polled over 2,000 American workers about thier experiences with religious discrimination at work and more generally.

Workplaces are a microcosm of America. They are becoming more diverse and, according to the survey, employees in diverse workplaces experience or witness more incidents of religious conflict. In addition, employees at workplaces with a culture of respect and accommodation have a higher level of satisfaction.

In the near future, in order to attract and keep the best talent, companies will need to become more proactive about addressing religious diversity. America will follow. We will need to address religious diversity in order to reduce conflicts and ensure that people of all backgrounds feel at home in the US.