A new poll has found that religious figures are largely irrelevant to the lives of young people, and that only a quarter of young people believe in God. The poll, carried out by YouGov, asked 18-24 year olds which figures have an influence on them, and only 12% cited religious figures as an influence on their lives. The results also demonstrate the decline in religious belief and practice among the young, with only 25% saying that they believe in God, and more than half (56%) saying that, apart from events such as weddings and funerals, they never attend religious services. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed the poll’s results which confirm the findings of similar studies.
The poll asked a sample of 940 British adults aged 18-24 which figures have an influence on their lives, and religious figures came bottom of the list, with only 12% saying that they are influenced by religious figures. This was behind the other influences of parents (82%), friends (77%), politicians (38%), brands (32%) and celebrities (21%). Only 25% of those who responded to the poll said that they believe in God. 19% said that they do not believe in God but do believe in a spiritual greater power, whereas 38% said that they believe neither in a God nor a greater spiritual power.
Only 14% said that they thought that religion is a cause for good, and 41% agreed with the statement that ‘religion is more often the cause of evil in the world’. 56% of the respondents said that apart from events like weddings and funerals, they never attend a church or place of worship. Only 5% said that they attend religious services once a week or more.
Pavan Dhaliwal, BHA Head of Public Affairs, commented ‘This poll confirms the huge cultural shift away from Christianity and towards the non-religious which was shown by the 2011 Census results and the most recent British Social Attitudes Survey (which found that 46% are non-religious).
This new poll of young people has found figures for non-belief which are even higher, and this suggests that the shift away from religious belief (as well as religious practice) is much more pronounced among the young than it is among other age groups. This is a strong indicator that the future of our country will be a secular and non-religious one and our social institutions, public policy and the way we think about our society and national identity has to catch up with this massive cultural shift.’
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For further comment or information contact Pavan Dhaliwal, Head of Public Affairs, at pavan@humanists.uk or on 0773 843 5059.
YouGov – British Youth reject Religion:
http://yougov.co.uk/news/2013/06/24/british-youth-reject-religion/
The full results of the poll:
New 2011 English and Welsh Census figures on religion released:
http://humanists.uk/2013/05/17/new-2011-english-and-welsh-census-figures-on-religion-released/
Census results show huge shift in cultural identity from Christianity to no religion:
46% of Britons say they are non-religious: largest single category of identity:
http://humanists.uk/2012/09/17/news-1117/
Religion and belief: some surveys and statistics:
http://humanists.uk/campaigns/religion-and-belief-some-surveys-and-statistics/
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.