Non-religious outnumber Christians in UK – Pew study

A major new study from the Pew Research Centre has revealed that most people in the UK who now identify as having no religion were raised as Christians. The report, which examines patterns of ‘religious switching’ globally, shows that nearly one in three people in the UK have left Christianity, while only a tiny proportion – just 3% – have joined it. Today, those who belong to no religion outnumber Christians, at 46% to 43%.

The report also finds that 57% of non-religious people were raised as Christians, while 6% were raised in other faiths. This mirrors the long-term trend seen in British Social Attitudes and Census data, which have shown a steady rise in the non-religious population over recent decades.

Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK, commented:

‘Religious identity has been worn lightly in the UK for some time. Today’s stats, like those of the Census, show the large population who don’t believe in gods today feel much less tied to the religious label of their family, school, or community. For many people religions are neither plausible, nor offer a compelling moral framework, and are a source of no meaning. Instead more people think that what’s true should be determined by what the evidence says, using science and reason, and that human empathy and thinking about consequences gives us a better guide to right and wrong than any religious text. This is a view of life that humanists find fulfilling and uplifting, and which has guided so much of social progress, scientific discovery, and artistic achievement in this country and around the world.’

Despite this shift, the UK continues to maintain many laws and institutions that discriminate against non-Christians. Humanists UK has said the findings underscore the urgent need for UK laws and institutions to catch up with the country’s beliefs and values.

Andrew Copson added:

‘The UK no longer has a predominantly Christian population and yet we continue to have a third of state schools be Christian, all non-faith schools required to hold daily Christian worship, scarce seats in the House of Commons allocated based on attendance of prayers, and bishops voting on our laws in the House of Lords. We need to move towards an inclusive, pluralistic state where no belief is excluded from the public square but all are equally included. We hope that the new government will make progress on this front.’