Oh yes. New Atheism always there when you need something to blame.
Never let a quick quip get in the way of the truth:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5587571/Most-people-believe-Earth-flat-consider-religious-poll-reveals.html
(And yes I do understand the irony of quoting the Mail to support the truth )
No, I have blamed other groups and individuals.
It happens that this country had for a time the most famous biologist in the world who had command of media exposure and national recognition as a professor of public awareness of science.
Du sautoy who has never had more than a fraction of Dawkins notoriety promised when he took over less atheism and more science.
Dawkins was more keen in equating religion with anti science and of course confused science with atheism and failed to realise anti science in the secular community, an easy mistake if you misinterpret the nature of atheism and non religion as it plays out outside of Oxford and the Brights movement of America.