Policy-makers and older generations of Britons sometimes get worried that the Holocaust, and the events of the Second World War more generally, are fading from the public memory. Last year, for instance, there was extensive media coverage of a study by the London Jewish Cultural Centre and Miramax which revealed that many secondary school pupils [...]
Religious Census of Berkshire in 1851
September 7th, 2010 by Clive FieldOn 30 March 1851, for the first and last time, a government survey of religious accommodation and attendance was undertaken throughout Great Britain as part of the decennial census of population. Information was gathered from the minister or lay official in charge of each place of worship, who was asked to complete a manuscript schedule.
Although the [...]
Attitudes towards the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts: Data from the British Election Study
September 7th, 2010 by Ben ClementsA series of questions in the British Election Study taps into views on both long-standing policy debates and more recent political issues. For instance, by using evidence from the BES 2005 and the BES 2009/10 we can compare attitudes on the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts by religious affiliation.
Roman Catholics and the Latin Mass
September 6th, 2010 by Clive FieldYet another opinion poll has been published in the run-up to the state and pastoral visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Scotland and England between 16 and 19 September. But this one is different, since it is about the liturgical predilections of British Catholics and not about papal popularity!
It is one in a series of [...]
Alternative Medicine
September 3rd, 2010 by Clive FieldAlternative medicine has been in the news again recently, on account of the ongoing debate about whether homeopathic remedies should be available on the National Health Service.
This has prompted YouGov to conduct an online survey on 30-31 August about belief in alternative medicine among a representative sample of 1,548 adult Britons aged 18 and over. [...]
Gallup on the Importance of Religion
August 31st, 2010 by Clive FieldA Gallup press release issued today (31 August) reports on surveys which the organization carried out in 114 countries during 2009 into the importance of religion in everyday life. Telephone or face-to-face interviews were conducted with approximately 1,000 adults in each country.
The global median proportion of respondents who said that religion played an important part [...]
Scotland and the Pope
August 30th, 2010 by Clive FieldPope Benedict XVI’s state and pastoral visit to Great Britain is almost upon us, and there remains much speculation in the national and international print, broadcast and online news media about the extent of opposition which he will encounter while he is in the country between 16 and 19 September.
However, according to an upbeat press release [...]
Muslim Integration in Scotland
August 30th, 2010 by Clive FieldThe British Council Scotland has recently released a report on Muslim Integration in Scotland, by Amy Homes, Chris McLean and Lorraine Murray, and based upon quantitative and qualitative research undertaken by Ipsos MORI Scotland. The report, commissioned under the auspices of the Council’s ‘Our Shared Europe’ programme, is available to download at:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/scotland-society-muslims-integration-in-scotland-report.pdf
The focus of the [...]
Who Rates Religious Education?
August 29th, 2010 by Clive FieldThe 2010 A Level and GCSE results season has now been and gone. The number of candidates taking religious studies at both levels has steadily risen over the years (see http://www.brin.ac.uk/figures/#RSExams), but how worthwhile do Britons as a whole think the subject is?
YouGov released some pertinent data on 25 August. In an online poll conducted [...]
