The public wants religion out of schools and politics, new polling shows

New polling has found strong public support for keeping religion out of politics and public institutions, with large majorities opposing religious privileges in Parliament, state schools, and publicly funded services. The findings suggest that, while most people respect personal faith, they do not want religious organisations to wield special political influence or receive special treatment from the state. Humanists UK has long called for a secular state, including removing the automatic right of bishops to sit in the House of Lords, and an end to religiously selective admissions policies in state schools so they are open to all regardless of faith or belief.

Widespread support for secularism

The polling, conducted by More in Common on behalf of the National Secular Society, shows that Britons are far more likely to want religious institutions to have less influence over politics than more. Britons are also more than twice as likely to say religion plays too big a role in politics as too small a one.

There is also clear opposition to the special constitutional privileges still enjoyed by the Church of England. Two-thirds of Britons oppose bishops automatically sitting in the House of Lords. Despite claiming ‘no conflict of interest’, bishops in the House of Lords have been vocal opponents of the Assisted Dying Bill, currently being filibustered by a small number of peers. Ten Bishops also voted against decriminalising abortion in a recent vote, despite a large majority of MPs voting in favour.

The polling also shows the public oppose Anglican prayers before parliamentary sittings, something we have long called out of step with today’s modern and diverse society.

Strong support for ending religious schools

Six in ten oppose state-funded schools selecting pupils on the basis of faith. When people are made aware that such selection is legal, more than half say these schools should either be privately funded or abolished altogether, with only around one in five saying they should continue to be allowed to select by religion. At the same time, two-thirds say religious education in schools should be about teaching children a broad understanding of different religions and worldviews, rather than promoting one faith.

Lewis Young, Humanists UK’s Policy and Campaigns Manager, said:

‘Fairness in a modern democracy means that no one should be privileged or discriminated against because of their religion and belief. Yet our public institutions do that through Parliamentary prayers that exclude elected representatives, reserved seats for Bishops, or a faith-based admissions system that allows state-funded schools to exclude young people because they are of the ‘wrong’ or no religion.  

‘This polling shows that the public is ahead of the political system. People respect freedom of religion and belief, but they do not support special religious privilege or religious interference in public life. They want a fairer society in which laws, schools, and public services work for everyone equally. We would urge policy makers to take note of what the public are saying, and make our public institutions work for everyone.’