The British Humanist Association has welcomed a survey commissioned by Penguin books asking children and young people their views on a variety of subjects.
The survey found that 66% of teenagers do not believe in any God or gods and 59% believe religion has a “negative influence” on the world.
The respondents rated everything from family and friends, to music and even reality TV shows, as more “important” than religious faith.
Hanne Stinson, chief executive of The British Humanist Association, said:
“It is refreshing to see a story which is about comprehensively and straight-forwardly asking young people what they actually think. It makes a change from hearing commentators belittle and bemoan teenagers for views and behaviours that don’t reflect on all of them.
“I am not at all surprised by the results. The figures are consistent with Government research, including a poll by the Department for Education and Skills (as was) which showed that 65 per cent of 12-19 year olds do not believe in a god, and other research which shows that while religion is very important to a small proportion of adults, most people rank religion with very low in importance in their lives.
“Some of the results are very interesting, for example that only four per cent of young people believe God is the biggest influence in their lives.
“It would be wrong to focus, as some commentators have, on the higher importance of ‘reality TV’ relative to ‘God’. This puts a negative spin on very positive results. A great many of the respondents will have meant only that reality TV as a social development is more important than any developments currently occurring in religion, or that reality TV is more important to them personally if only because religion is of such little importance. This is certainly a better interpretation than the uncharitable and disrespectful assumption that teenagers must all be shallow and easily pleased.
“Also significant, and reassuring for those who are worried about children’s values, is that 91 per cent think they should treat others as they wish to be treated.
“It confirms that young people – like adults – do not need a religion to have positive values.”
The survey also found that 60% of young people do not think that Religious Studies should be compulsory.
“It is abundantly clear that teenagers are interested in, and possess, social values. That so many are put off by the religious bias in their learning about values and worldviews confirms that RE is in need of significant reform. Schools and young people should be able to have a wider, more relevant discussion about beliefs and values, which reflects the secular nature of modern Britain.”
“How can government justify the rapid growth in religious schools that segregate children on the basis of their parents’ beliefs, that discriminate on grounds of religion or non-religious beliefs in their admissions policies and in employment? How can they justify the exclusion of humanists from the local committees where religious representatives determine the Religious Education syllabus for each education authority? How can they justify the requirement for collective worship of a ‘broadly Christian’ nature in our schools? How much better it would be to have school assemblies based on the values that all their students could share.
“Most of these young people seem to know something which many of the policy-makers still fail to grasp: that teenagers can have their values and learn their ethics perfectly well without religion. It’s time their education caught up with them.”
Notes
The BHA is currently encouraging members and supporters to respond to three ongoing policy developments, aimed at respecting the rights of children and young people to a balanced and thorough education which reflects their needs and their views.
The BHA is asking members and supporters to take action on:
- the Primary Science curriculum, to demand that natural selection, a central concept in modern life sciences, is included in the primary curriculum.
- the Sex and Relationships Education component as part of PSHE, to demand that proposed exemptions from statutory SRE be withdrawn so that every child gets the sex education which we know to be best for their sexual health and to enable informed, responsible decisions
- new guidance on RE, to demand that RE should reform and include non-religious positions such as Humanism which better reflect the values and beliefs of so many young people.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing and supporting the non-religious and campaigning for an end to religious privilege and discrimination based on religion or belief.
Also see our campaigns on Religious Education and Collective Worship.