How many atheists are there in the world? Where do they live? What kind of people are they, and how do they get that way?

Are they happy? Are they prosperous? Do they drag their societies down into a cesspool of immortality—as is often alleged—or, is it precisely the opposite?

All of these questions are amenable to scientific study. With, like, data. It’s just that people didn’t much bother—until now.

One pioneer in the sociological study of atheists is Phil Zuckerman, professor of sociology at Pitzer College. He’s the author of Society Without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment, and Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion. And we’re excited to have him on this week to reveal what we actually know about secularity—on a global scale.