“It’s Like Listening to a Really Nice Sermon”: Emotional Engagement with Science Television Amongst UK Atheist and Nonreligious People and its Implications

Popular culture in the United Kingdom often presents science as well aligned with forms of nonreligion, particularly atheism. Publics’ self-perceptions and socio-cultural understandings are shaped by popular culture and media representations. To explore the impacts of science media on UK atheists and other non-religious people, qualitative semi-structured interviews (n = 11) were conducted to understand science media engagement, how diverse representations of science on television were perceived and how these representations are factored into atheist and nonreligious identities. UK science television particularly, compared with other media formats, was engaged with for its entertainment potential and for the emotional responses it inspires, rather than to increase knowledge about science. Some UK atheist’s and nonreligious people’s aims for and engagement with science television programs align with the previously identified views of some science television producers, who see their programs as providing ‘creation tales for atheists’ (Mason-Wilkes and Hall 2024). Some UK-atheists and nonreligious people view science television in these terms; as reinforcing understandings of universal origins and in turn find a sense of meaning in these representations of science. The consequences of this kind of engagement for science communication, UK atheists’ and nonreligious peoples’ understanding of scientific uncertainty and broader engagement with science in techno-scientific societies are discussed.