Has religious belief declined in the UK? Which kinds of people are more likely to hold religious beliefs?

Ben Clements

Research Summary

The researcher analyses nearly three decades of statistics on religious belief in the UK. The research shows how belief in God, in a personal God, in heaven and in sin have declined, whilst belief in life after death and in hell are relatively unchanged. Women and people who say that they belong to a religion are more likely to express agreement with traditional religious beliefs. The picture regarding age is complex, though older people are generally more likely to believe in God but less likely to believe in life after death. Those of higher socio-economic status are less likely to hold traditional religious beliefs.

Researcher

Ben Clements

Research Institution

University of Leicester

What is this about?

Since 1981, has traditional religious belief declined in the UK?
Has belief in God declined?
Has belief in life after death declined?
Has belief in hell declined?
Has belief in heaven declined?
Has belief in sin declined?
What effects on these patterns of belief do the factors of gender, age and religious belonging have?

What was done?

The researcher analysed nationally representative survey data covering nearly three decades. First, the extent of change and continuity in religious beliefs in Britain in recent decades was examined.
Second, the correlates of traditional beliefs, were analysed (so that different kinds of people more or less likely to hold various beliefs could be identified).

Main findings and outputs

Belief in God has declined (75.1% in 1981, 57.7% in 2008).
Belief in a personal God (as opposed to spirit or life-force) has declined (30.4% in 1981, 25.0% in 2008).
Belief in life after death is relatively unchanged (45.2% in 1981, 44.3% in 2008).
Belief in hell is relatively unchanged (26.2% in 1981, 28.6% in 2008).
Belief in heaven has declined (57.0% in 1981, 46.4% in 2008).
Belief in sin has declined (68.2% in 1981, 57.2% in 2008).
Women are significantly more likely than men to express believe in God, life after death and heaven.
To some extent, people of higher socio-economic status are less likely to hold religious beliefs.
Those professing religious belonging are more likely to hold a religious belief (as would be expected).
The effects of age on belief are varied, though older people are more likely to believe in God where religion is important in their lives, but less likely to believe in life after death.

Relevance to RE

Teachers may be interested in these research data as part of their background information for the study of religion in the UK.
The findings may also have pedagogical uses. For instance, the findings that women are more likely, those of higher socio-economic status less likely to hold religious beliefs could be offered to pupils as tasks: what are some possible explanations for these findings? Which do you find most convincing and why?
Or: given that belief in life after death has remained more or less unchanged, why has belief in God declined?
Pupils might also repeat the research in their schools or local areas, comparing their findings with the national picture given.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The research covers a very broad amount of established data in a very thorough way. The researcher states that a limitation of the research is that although traditional religious beliefs and their correlates are accounted, beliefs in the paranormal are not, and neither are correlatesGod between traditional religious beliefs and beliefs in the paranormal.

Find out more

The correlates of traditional religious beliefs in Britain, Journal of Beliefs & Values, 35:3, 278-290

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13617672.2014.980070