Steve, one of my points is that there is nothing new about the New Atheism. Except their anger and in-your-face attitude. Which I, as an atheist, don't find helpful.

I hear a lot the argument about "many people were encouraged to come out." Is that true? Do we have surveys that show that?

As for the surveys, they are anonymous. No researcher is going to tell your relatives and friends that you checked the atheist box, so the explanation doesn't ring true to me. But, again, any evidence?