Apostate Report
Our report looks at the characteristics, experiences, and beliefs of North American ex-Muslims, based on a first-of-its-kind survey.
Age of Apostasy
Respondents left Islam early in life. Apostasy most often occurred when respondents were in their twenties
and rarely after the age of 40.
% who left Islam at the age of:
Education
Respondents are highly educated. The overwhelming majority possess college degrees, and more hold graduate
degrees than Americans hold college degrees of any kind.
% whose highest academic credential was a ___ degree:
Reasons for Apostasy
Respondents exhibit a wide range of motivations for leaving Islam behind—but nearly all express a
fundamental discontent with doctrines and practices in Islam.
% who described ___ as a factor contributing to their apostasy:
These questions were introduced into the survey after a number of respondents had already completed it.
Only 41% of respondents answered these questions
Period of Questioning
For most respondents, leaving religion was a long and protracted process. For almost two-thirds, the
process took several years.
% who questioned Islam for a period of ___ before leaving:
Demographics
Respondents are young, more male than female, and diverse in their backgrounds.
% who describe their sexual orientation as:
% who were between ___ years old:
% who describe their former sect as:
Immigrants and Origins
Respondents are young, more male than female, and diverse in their backgrounds.
% whose father/mother was born in:
% who describe themselves as:
Life after Islam
After leaving the faith, the majority of respondents experienced some degree of difficulty adjusting to
religiously prohibited activities such as alcohol consumption and interaction with the opposite
sex.
% who experienced difficulties adjusting to life after Islam:
% who experienced difficulties with ___ after leaving Islam:
Negative Experiences
Respondents experienced a variety of negative repercussions after their apostasy, most notably verbal
abuse, emotional manipulation,
and loss of relationships. On almost every measure, fully open apostates experienced more severe
consequences.
% experienced ___ as consequence of their apostasy:
Changing Outlooks
Respondent's social and political views often became more progressive after apostasy, with the majority
skewing strongly to the left.
% who described their political and social views as:
% who became more ___ in their political and social views after leaving Islam:
In and out of the Closet
The majority of respondents are closeted to at least some of their family and friends, but are open to
others. A small few are completely closeted.
% who described themselves as ___ about their apostasy:
% partially closeted respondents who hid their apostasy from:
* Those from a similar etnic background
** Those whose apperead to be Muslim