**Secular Worldviews and their psychological functions**
The aim of this [research project][1] (part of, and funded by, the [Understanding Unbelief][2] programme) is to investigate the worldviews of non-believers, since little is known about the diversity of these non-religious beliefs, and what psychological functions they serve.
We wanted to explore (1) the idea that while non-believers may not hold religious beliefs, they still hold distinct ontological, epistemological and ethical beliefs about reality, and (2) the idea that these secular beliefs and worldviews provide the non-religious with equivalent sources of meaning, or similar coping mechanisms, as the supernatural beliefs of religious individuals.
The data collection for this project has concluded, and analyses and write-up are ongoing. You can read a short article about the results published at [The Conversation.][3]
[1]: https://research.kent.ac.uk/understandingunbelief/research/early-career-research-projects/3308-2/
[2]: https://research.kent.ac.uk/understandingunbelief/
[3]: https://theconversation.com/how-non-religious-worldviews-provide-solace-in-times-of-crisis-138638