A Vision of Britain through Time

An important geo-historical website, which includes a section on Roots & Religion in its 'Statistical Atlas' section.

This provides maps of religious affiliation from the 2001 Census, and maps of church attendances from the 1851 Census.

The 'Census Reports' section also indexes the 1851 Census Report, with a list of all the tables published for England and Wales and for Scotland.

The ESDS is a national data archiving and dissemination service. Surveys such as the British Social Attitudes survey and Eurobarometer can be ordered here. The site also acts as a portal to other surveys, such as the European Social Survey.

New users must register to gain access to datasets. Access restrictions may apply to some users or usages - you may need a higher education affiliation and they are generally for non-commercial use.

Hosts data drawn from the 2001 England and Wales Census and the quarterly Labour Force Survey. It also provides reports explaining the data, and breakdowns by age, sex, and geography.

Christian Research has led on the publication of Religious Trends, an annual or biannual publication summarising data from religious organisations, alongside survey and official data on the UK population.

The first edition was published in 1997 as an outgrowth of the UK Christian Handbook, a crucial directory now available online to subscribers.

The Executive Director of Christian Research is Benita Hewitt.

Central resource hosting the annual Church Statistics, as well as a summary of relevant polling data, cathedral attendance, data on the clergy, and reports analysing published data.

Directed by Linda Barley, Head of Research and Statistics for the Church of England.

The JPR has conducted several surveys of the Jewish community in Britain, as well as publishing reports analysing data from the 2001 Census.

Its Director of Social and Demographic Research is David Graham, an expert on the social demographics of the British Jewish community.

Methodist Church of Great Britain

For these organisations, few data appear to be available online. We advise contacting the organisations themselves to inquire further. We make no claim to these bodies being representative of all members of the relevant community - they should serve as a useful starting point.

Founded in 1975, this is one of the largest study groups within the British Sociological Association.

The current Chair is Professor Gordon Lynch.

A joint funding programme of the AHRC and the ESRC, sponsoring research on the relationship between religion and society.

The Programme is directed by Professor Linda Woodhead and fosters collaborative research across the arts, humanities and social sciences.

Information Network Focus on Religious Movements. Independent charity based at the London School of Economics, founded in 1988 by Professor Eileen Barker. This provides advice to those looking to find out more about new and alternative religious movements, and also hosts a unique database of over 1,000 NRMs.

INFORM

Both a shared space and an institute for encouragement of mutual understanding  between people of different faiths and beliefs.

The Multi-Faith Centre also publishes the directory Religions in the UK, edited by Professor Paul Weller, of which the fourth edition (2007) is the most recent.

This includes a directory of over 5,000 listings of local and national organisations in the Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Zoroastrian communities in the UK, and contact points for a range of other religious groupings.

ESDS Qualidata

A crucial resource for data on subjective religious experience. Based at the University of Wales, Lampeter, this holds over 6,000 accounts of religious experience, compiled since 1924. The Centre also maintains a library of over 2,000 volumes.

Alister Hardy

Religious Experience Research Centre

Theos is a 'public theology think-tank' which sponsors surveys, commissions and produces reports, and hosts events. Its mission is to provide research, analysis and advice on religion and socio-political change, and to make a case for the place of religion in public life.

ippr is a progressive think-tank which runs a research stream on faith, identity and the state among other projects.