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Research

Puzzles about the shrinkage of Christianity in the UK

David Voas & Siobhan McAndrew

Research Summary

It is widely recognised that Christian belief and belonging have been decreasing in the UK for at least the last few decades (this article touches on non-Christian religions in the UK, but almost all its attention is paid to Christianity). Within the pattern of decline are some puzzles, however. Why do non-religious people tend to be male rather than female, to be better educated than average, and to live in particular areas? The researchers suggest answers, by analysing large data sets such as the Census and British Social Attitudes Survey. Girls are more likely to be identified as religious by their parents, graduates are more likely to ask ‘big questions’ than non-graduates (though there are further complications) and there are various localised factors such as the existence of a ‘British Bible Belt’ in North-West and North-East England. The article repays repeated reading and should be of real interest to RE teachers. In terms of how it might be used, it could inform discussions with pupils, parents and colleagues about the relevance of RE (the facts are not as simple as ‘religion has died out’). The article’s data could be used to teach, on such topics as religion in the UK and religion and gender. Colleagues teaching about secularisation on A level Sociology courses will find the material invaluable.

Researchers

David Voas & Siobhan McAndrew

Research Institution

University of Essex and University of Manchester

What is this about?

  • Christianity may, evidently, be decreasing in the UK in general, both in terms of belief and practice, but within this overall trend there are puzzles demanding solutions:
    Why do non-religious people tend to be male rather than female?
    Why do they tend to be better educated than average?
    Why do they tend to live in particular areas?

What was done?

The researchers subjected large data sets including the Census and British Social Attitudes Survey to very close analysis.

Main findings and outputs

  • People tend to have partners of the same religious or non-religious category (though there is a tendency for people to see ‘Christian’ as an ethnic category). In survey responses, one parent will often respond on behalf of the family.
  •  Women tend to be more religious than men. Parents will therefore have a greater tendency to identify daughters than sons as religious. In the small numbers of families where the mother is Christian and the father is not, the likelihood of a girl rather than a boy being identified as Christian is twice as great as where the parents are in the same category.
  •  Less graduates than non-graduates believe in God (29% as opposed to 35%), but graduates are nearly twice as likely to attend religious services. Education appears to increase social connection as well as questioning. As a part of the population, graduates are becoming less distinct (many more people are now graduates than earlier in the twentieth century). These days more graduates identify with a religion than before, and, since 1956, more graduates than non-graduates do so; when higher education is restricted to very high academic achievers, identification with religion decreases.
  • Migration from Ireland resulted in a Catholic Bible Belt in North-West and North-East England, whilst urban liberal enclaves in wards of southern cities show greatly lower levels of religious identification.
  • Statistics on religion should not be taken simply as indicators of people’s beliefs or behaviour. Social, educational and local contexts also generate them.

Relevance to RE

RE teachers could use the data in various ways. They could help with questions from pupils, parents and colleagues about the relevance of RE (religion has not ‘died out’, and the real picture needs careful study). If teachers are teaching topics or lessons on religion in the UK or religion and gender, data from the research can be used directly. Where RE teachers are also teaching about secularisation on A level Sociology courses, they will find the material invaluable. In such cases, colleagues are recommended to study the original article fully, as it is rich in content, closely reasoned and only presented in outline summary form here.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The research is highly generalisable, based on very large data sets that have high levels of reliability.

Find out more

Three Puzzles of Non-religion in Britain, Journal of Contemporary Religion 27.1 pages 29-48 (published online 13 January 2012), 10.1080/13537903.2012.642725

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2012.642725

 

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