This post analyses the contemporary social make-up of religious belonging in Britain using data released as part of the latest British Election Study (BES), focusing on the 2015 general election. Two waves of panel data (conducted in, respectively, February-March 2014 and April-June 2014) have so far been made available for wider analysis. They can be found here. This post uses wave 1 from the BES 2015 panel study to look at the social bases of religious affiliation in Britain, looking at how religious is distributed across various socio-demographic factors (sex, age, country and region). The analysis is based on the core sample (n=20,881) from wave 1 of the BES 2015 Panel Study, and the data are weighted accordingly. Although the data released so far have not contained measures of other aspects of religion, such as attendance, given the BES’s longevity (it started in the early-1960s) and the extensive range of questions on political and social issues, the current data – and future releases as part of the 2015 study – clearly represent an important resource for scholars of religion in Britain.
It is useful to look at the overall distribution for religious affiliation, which is given in Table 1. The question wording was as follows: ‘Do you regard yourself as belonging to any particular religion?’ The most common response is that of not belonging to any religion, at 44.7%. Next, those who identify as Church of England or Anglican constitute 31.1%, followed by 9.1% who identify as Catholic. Very small proportions say they belong to other Christian traditions or denominations, such as one of the Nonconformist churches or as Church of Scotland/Presbyterian. Similarly, very small proportions report that they identify with a non-Christian faith, including Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism, or some other religion.
Table 1: Religious affiliation
|
% |
Church of England/Anglican/Episcopal |
31.1 |
Roman Catholic |
9.1 |
Presbyterian/Church of Scotland |
3.1 |
Methodist |
2.5 |
Baptist |
1.3 |
United Reformed Church |
0.5 |
Free Presbyterian |
0.1 |
Brethren |
0.1 |
Judaism |
0.8 |
Hinduism |
0.6 |
Islam |
1.6 |
Sikhism |
0.3 |
Buddhism |
0.4 |
Other |
3.7 |
None |
44.7 |
Source: BES 2015 Panel Study – Wave 1.
Table 2 provides a summary of the data reported already but based on five categories – combining (i) those in the various Christian groups (apart from Anglicans and Catholics) and (ii) those belonging to non-Christian faiths or who responded ‘other’. It also shows the earlier data on religious affiliation from other BES surveys, covering the period from 1963 to 2015. For this period, covering over fifty years, the major features are: the decline in levels of Anglican affiliation, the steady proportions who identify as Roman Catholic, the decline in the proportions belonging to other Christian traditions, the increase in those affiliated to minority non-Christian faiths and the growth in what are often termed the ‘religious nones’. Of course, religious belonging can be affected by the question wording asked and response options available on any particular survey, and the BES questions on affiliation have not been consistently-worded over time.
Table 2: Religious affiliation, 1963-2015
1963 (%) |
(Feb.) 1974 (%) |
1987 (%) |
2001 (%) |
2015 (%) |
|
Anglican |
64.5 |
41.5 |
41.4 |
32.5 |
31.1 |
Roman Catholic |
8.6 |
9.0 |
9.8 |
10.8 |
9.1 |
Other Christian |
23.1 |
12.9 |
14.7 |
6.9 |
7.6 |
Other religion |
0.6 |
2.7 |
2.4 |
7.7 |
7.5 |
None |
3.2 |
33.8 |
31.8 |
42.1 |
44.7 |
Source: BES cross-section surveys; BES 2015 Panel Study – Wave 1.
It is a common finding from sociological work on religion that women are more likely to have a religious identity and to be more involved or engaged with their faith. This is apparent, in relation to belonging, for the data presented in Table 3, which shows the religious composition of men and women. While similar proportions of men and women fall within the other Christian and other religion categories (and women are slightly more likely to be Catholic), a clear difference is in the proportions who report they are Anglican – 27.7% for men and 34.3% for women. Accordingly, men are more likely to declare that they do not belong to a religion, a nearly half (48.6%) compared to just over two-fifths of women (40.0%)
Table 3: Religious affiliation by sex
Male (%) |
Female (%) |
|
Anglican |
27.7 |
34.3 |
Roman Catholic |
8.5 |
9.7 |
Other Christian |
7.6 |
7.5 |
Other religion |
7.5 |
7.5 |
None |
48.6 |
41.0 |
Source: BES 2015 Panel Study – Wave 1.
Next, how does religious belonging vary by age? Table 4 presents the religious composition of seven different age groups (ranging from those aged 18-24 to those aged 75 and older). Several aspects of the data are worthy of note. First, identification as an Anglican increases steadily across age groups, lowest at just 14.2% for those aged 18-24 years and highest at half of those aged 75+ (at 52.1%). There is also a greater tendency to identify with other Christian traditions amongst the older age groups – highest at 11.6% and 10.4%, respectively, for the 65-74 and 75+ groups. Belonging to a non-Christian faith is more likely amongst younger age groups – particularly those between 18-34 years of age. The pattern in the data for having no religious affiliation is the reverse of that seen for Anglicans: that is, there is a steady decrease in the proportion with no religion as we move up the age range. Well over half of those aged 44 and under report having no affiliation, which falls to lower than three-tenths amongst those aged 65 and older.
Table 4: Religious affiliation by age group
18-24 (%) |
25-34 (%) |
35-44 (%) |
45-54 (%) |
55-64 (%) |
65-74 (%) |
75+ (%) |
|
Anglican |
14.2 |
19.4 |
23.6 |
32.8 |
39.4 |
46.4 |
52.1 |
Roman Catholic |
8.5 |
8.7 |
9.4 |
9.6 |
9.8 |
8.6 |
7.4 |
Other Christian |
4.0 |
5.6 |
5.3 |
6.7 |
9.4 |
11.6 |
10.4 |
Other religion |
11.0 |
10.9 |
8.8 |
6.3 |
5.1 |
5.1 |
5.2 |
None |
61.4 |
55.3 |
52.9 |
44.7 |
28.3 |
28.3 |
4.9 |
Source: BES 2015 Panel Study – Wave 1.
Another way at looking at the association between religious affiliation and age is to look at the mean (average) age within each religious group, data on which are presented in Table 5. It is clear that the average age of religious affiliates is highest for Anglicans (53.7 years) and other Christians (52.4 years). It is lowest for those with no religion (43.3 years) and those who belong to non-Christian faiths (42.2 years). The average age of Catholics is 47.6 years, in between the other groups.
Table 5: Mean age by religious group
Mean age |
|
Anglican |
53.7 |
Roman Catholic |
47.6 |
Other Christian |
52.4 |
Other religion |
42.2 |
None |
43.3 |
Source: BES 2015 Panel Study – Wave 1.
The differing religious complexion of the different nations of Britain is still apparent in the data shown in Table 6. Anglicans are much more prevalent in England and Wales than in Scotland, where the other Christian category is much more common (many of whom would identify as Church of Scotland/Presbyterian). Identifying as Roman Catholic is more prevalent in Scotland and England than in Wales. Those in England and Wales are also somewhat more likely to belong to a non-Christian religion. Levels of non-affiliation are clearly higher in Wales and Scotland.
Table 6: Religious affiliation by country
England (%) |
Wales (%) |
Scotland (%) |
|
Anglican |
34.0 |
27.7 |
4.5 |
Roman Catholic |
9.1 |
5.9 |
11.5 |
Other Christian |
5.4 |
8.1 |
28.6 |
Other religion |
7.8 |
6.5 |
4.7 |
None |
43.7 |
51.8 |
50.6 |
Source: BES 2015 Panel Study – Wave 1.
Finally, Table 7 provides a breakdown of religious affiliation in the different (Government Office) regions of England. Again, historical patterns of migration and settlement by religious communities are apparent. Higher proportions of Catholics are found in the North West, North East and in London. London is also distinct from other regions in having the lowest proportion of Anglicans (24.7%), the highest proportion belonging to other religions (21.4%, followed by the West Midlands at 8.1%) and the lowest proportion with no affiliation (35.3%).
Table 7: Religious affiliation by English region
Anglican |
Catholic |
Other Christian |
Other religion |
No religion |
|
North East (%) |
35.1 |
11.9 |
6.1 |
2.9 |
44.0 |
North West (%) |
33.6 |
14.7 |
5.4 |
5.4 |
41.0 |
Yorkshire and the Humber (%) |
37.5 |
6.5 |
6.4 |
5.8 |
43.8 |
East Midlands (%) |
35.2 |
5.7 |
5.4 |
5.6 |
48.1 |
West Midlands (%) |
35.2 |
6.7 |
5.4 |
8.1 |
44.6 |
East of England (%) |
34.4 |
7.9 |
5.1 |
6.0 |
46.5 |
London (%) |
24.7 |
13.8 |
4.8 |
21.4 |
35.3 |
South East (%) |
35.3 |
7.1 |
5.4 |
5.0 |
47.2 |
South West (%) |
39.7 |
5.4 |
5.3 |
4.1 |
45.5 |
Source: BES 2015 Panel Study – Wave 1.
Note: Percentages sum across the rows.
Summary
These new data on religious affiliation from the BES 2015 shed some light on the social basis of religious affiliation in contemporary British society. There are clear differences in levels of religious affiliation (and non-affiliation) based on sex, age, and region. Demographically, women and those in older age groups are more likely to be Anglican, while men and younger people are more likely to report having no religion. Younger people are also more likely to identify with a non-Christian religion. Religious belonging also varies by nation and region, reflecting historical patterns of migration, settlement and denominational fault-lines. Non-religion is somewhat higher in Scotland and Wales while, within England, London is particularly distinctive in terms of its religious complexion.
NB: A second note, to accompany this one, will look at the social and political attitudes of religious groups using the same data from the BES 2015.
Reference
Fieldhouse, E., J. Green., G. Evans., H. Schmitt, and C. van der Eijk (2014) British Election Study Internet Panel Wave 1.
Surveyitis and Other News
Today’s digest of religious statistical news highlights a thought-provoking blog about ‘surveyitis’ by the Director of the AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society programme, as well as headline findings from two actual surveys, among evangelicals and adult learners.
A bad case of surveyitis
In our last post, on 4 December, we briefly anticipated the publication of Professor Linda Woodhead’s blog inspired by the recent Theos report, Post-Religious Britain? The Faith of the Faithless. This blog was published on The Guardian’s Comment is Free website on 5 December under the heading ‘Surveying Religious Belief Needs Social Science Not Hard Science’. In it Professor Woodhead provides some salutary advice on the difficulties of measuring public opinion in relation to religion, which she characterizes as an ever-changing and often also a vague and contested area. She particularly counsels against ‘surveyitis’, ‘a disease that afflicts people who stay indoors too long poring over data’, and whose ‘symptoms include credulity about the accuracy of survey responses and morbid attachment to outdated questions’, the latter ‘working with zombie categories’. She detects ‘a new outbreak of surveyitis’ occasioned by an upsurge of interest in ‘nones’, people who do not identify with or practice religion. She emphasizes ‘doubt, subtlety, uncertainty and cognitive modesty’, in contrast to the idea of ‘a fantasy rational man with clear and distinct ideas’ who ‘lurks behind many survey designs’. The blog can be read at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2012/dec/05/nones-on-the-run-religion
Evangelicals living the Christian life
Three-quarters (76%) of lay evangelicals have been Christians for more than twenty years, with an average of twenty-two years, ‘reflecting, perhaps, a lack of priority in evangelism’. Indeed, evangelism is only seen as the fourth most important (of six) key dimensions of church life. Stability is also suggested by the fact that two-fifths have never attended any other than their existing place of worship. Notwithstanding, the overwhelming majority of lay evangelicals consider that their faith has grown during the past year, the principal reasons for such growth being the fellowship and teaching (in services) of their church and house groups. The Bible is also deemed a significant influence, not just for faith development but in shaping attitudes to family and world; this is especially true of the over-40s. Prayer is widespread, 71% of these laity praying every day and a further 22% several times a week. However, they rather struggle with the concept of Christlikeness, which is typically expressed in terms of kindness, while 54% have a concern that ‘becoming more Christlike will increasingly alienate Christians from the culture around them’.
Source: Surveys undertaken by Brierley Consultancy in 2012 among 1,999 English evangelicals from three groups: a) churchgoers in seven congregations (three Anglican, one Baptist, three Independent); b) laity answering advertisements in Christian newspapers and magazines (and thus self-selecting); c) ministers from a range of denominations. The research was commissioned by the Langham Partnership (UK and Ireland), whose purpose is ‘to help churches grow in maturity or simple Christlikeness’, and which is running the ‘9-a-day: Becoming Like Jesus’ campaign in January-July 2013 ‘to encourage Christians in that transformative process’. A summary of the study (which BRIN found rather confusingly presented) appears in the 16-page pamphlet Living the Christian Life: Becoming Like Jesus (Tonbridge: ADBC Publishers, 2012). This can be obtained (for £2, inclusive of postage) from Brierley Consultancy, The Old Post Office, 1 Thorpe Avenue, Tonbridge, Kent, TN10 4PW, email peter@brierleyres.com. Also available for purchase from the same source are detailed reports of the research among laity in the seven participating congregations (Vol. 1) and the ministers (Vol. 2), priced £7.50 each. Cheques should be made payable to Peter Brierley.
Religion and belief in adult learning
Just over one-half (53%) of adult learners at further education colleges in England consider themselves to have a religion, a further 10% say that they have some form of non-religious belief (agnosticism, atheism, humanism, and spiritualism being most often mentioned), while 37% have neither. Students with religion are disproportionately to be found among the over-25s, women and ethnic minorities. Of those reporting a religion, 57% are Christian and 27% Muslim, and 53% claim actively to practise their religion. Within the learning environment 56% are fully or partially open about their religion or belief, typically through the expression of their opinions or the wearing (by 22%) of some form of religious dress or symbol. Although religion and/or belief are not widely seen as barriers to learning opportunities, 11% of adult learners with religious beliefs report that they have experienced bullying or harassment due to their religion and 4% due to their beliefs. This compares with 11% of those with non-religious beliefs who have been victims of bullying or harassment on account of their beliefs and 5% of those without any religion or belief. Fewer than one-third of victims have notified somebody in the learning environment about their experience of bullying or harassment. One-quarter of all adult learners state that they have had positive learning outcomes as a result of their religion or belief, rising to 35% of those with a religion.
Source: Survey of a self-selecting sample of 1,139 adult learners aged 19 and over (with 49% aged 19-29) attending further education colleges in England who completed an online questionnaire between 16 February and 11 May 2012. Women (63%) were overrepresented by 6% relative to the adult learning sector as a whole. The study was undertaken by Babcock Research on behalf of the Skills Funding Agency, with take-up of the survey being promoted by further education providers. It is reported in Donna James, Clare Lambley and Kay Turner, Religion and Belief in Adult Learning: Learner Views (Coventry: Skills Funding Agency, 2012), which is freely available at:
http://readingroom.skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/sfa/Religion_and_Belief_report.pdf