Resonate Online Panel

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Clive D. Field

Christian Research’s new online panel, called Resonate, is now up and running and open for business, according to a letter which accompanies the latest mailing to Christian Research members.

Based on two recent online surveys, ‘over 5,000 respondents agreed to be participants in ongoing research studies, and this has enabled us to compile the UK’s largest online panel of Christian churchgoers and clergy’.

An initial snapshot of the Resonate panel, included in the same mailing, shows that in July 2012 it comprised 4,000 churchgoers and 1,000 clergy drawn from 2,850 individual churches, with the following basic demographic characteristics:

  • Gender: 52% male, 48% female (an underrepresentation of adult female worshippers, who constituted 58% at the English Church Census, 2005)
  • Age: 4% under 30, 23% 30-49, 71% 50 and above (in 2005 65% were aged 45 and over)
  • Marital status: 17% single, 67% in first marriage, 11% remarried, 3% widowed, 1% separated
  • Employment status: 34% full time, 15% part time, 10% self-employed, 2% unemployed, 32% retired
  • Voting in 2010 general election: Conservative 36%, Liberal Democrat 22%, Labour 14%, no answer 22%, did not vote 4%

These are evidently pretty devout Christians. 92% of them claim to attend church at least once a week and only 2% less than once a month. 82% say they read the Bible every day or most days. 76% give 5% or more of their net income to their church, and most seem to be involved in church leadership of one sort or another. 

Denominationally, the panel is predominantly Protestant, with only 3% Roman Catholics (a constituency Christian Research has often found it difficult to reach). 39% are Anglicans. Among the Free Churches, it looks as though Baptists may be overrepresented. 7% do not state a confessional allegiance.  

The panel is more internet-savvy than churchgoers as a whole, and this may have some impact on religious practices and attitudes. Whereas, by definition, 100% of Resonate members are internet users (with 52% also on Facebook and 17% blogging from a Christian perspective), the same is probably true for only a minority of all churchgoers (given their population pyramid is so top-heavy, skewed to older age cohorts who have been slow to get online, despite the ‘silver surfer’ phenomenon).

Obviously, these are very early days for Resonate, and BRIN naturally wishes the new commercial service well. Nevertheless, over time, Christian Research will need to demonstrate to its clients, members and users that it is addressing any known or perceived imbalances in the make-up of the panel, to ensure that it is reasonably representative of all churchgoing Christians. This could be achieved through targeted panel recruitment, selection of respondents for individual surveys, and weighting (where contextual demographics are available).

Similar methodological challenges have faced online surveys of research panels in general, since they appeared in the late 1990s. They have now almost become the norm among some polling organizations, as they can be conducted at a much lower cost and with greater speed than alternative forms of interviewing (face-to-face or telephone, or self-completion postal questionnaire).

They have proved particularly useful for capturing the views and behaviours of small, niche and spatially concentrated interest groups which are hard to reach in sufficient numbers through conventional national sample surveys, however large-scale. YouGov (launched in 2000) has had particular success in this regard, its British panel currently including 360,000 adults. BRIN has so far recorded 190 YouGov polls touching on aspects of religion.

Nor is Resonate the only online panel of Christians to be operating in the UK at present, although it seems to be the first to extend to clergy. Cpanel has been run by ComRes for the past four years, albeit its normal sample size is only around 500 churchgoing Christians. Data are weighted to reflect the profile of churchgoers in the English Church Census, 2005.

The Evangelical Alliance also runs a research panel of more than 3,000 evangelical Christians, just over one-third of whom respond to any particular quarterly survey. This is described by its parent body as ‘an opportunity sample of self-selecting volunteers’. So far as can be seen, no weighting is applied to the results.

Further details about Resonate can be obtained from Abbie Heath – abbie@christian-research.org.uk

 

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Archbishop of Canterbury

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Clive D. Field

There was some moderately cheering news this week for the members of the Crown Nominations Commission who are charged with coming up with a preferred name of the next Archbishop of Canterbury, in succession to Rowan Williams.

According to a Cpanel poll of 569 churchgoing Christians aged 18 and over in the UK, conducted online by ComRes for Premier Christian Radio between 26 June and 11 July 2012, the post is still seen as highly relevant from a variety of perspectives.

94% of all Christians (and 98% of Anglicans) said that the Archbishop of Canterbury was relevant to the Church of England, 92% (96%) to the Anglican Communion, 85% (94%) to Christians in the UK, and 71% (79%) to wider UK society.

Nevertheless, one-quarter of Christians felt that the post was no longer relevant to UK society, and this was particularly the view of men, those aged under 45, and members of Independent and New Churches.

Presented with a list of twenty-four possible characteristics and beliefs for a new Archbishop, the six cited as most important by all Christians (figures for Anglicans alone in parentheses) were:

  • Desire to stand up for the beliefs and values of Christians – 90% (96%)
  • Support for family values – 81% (77%)
  • Ability to communicate with normal people – 77% (83%)
  • Well-versed in biblical knowledge – 76% (89%)
  • Willingness to speak his mind – 69% (79%)
  • Support for same-sex marriage – 68% (62%)

The six attributes which came bottom of the list were:

  • Support for gay marriage – 4% (5%)
  • Liberal interpretation of the Bible – 6% (6%)
  • English nationality – 8% (6%)
  • Desire to increase overseas development aid spending – 16% (22%)
  • Opposition to the ordination of female bishops – 17% (7%)
  • Support for the ordination of female bishops – 23% (34%)

Of the twelve characteristics ranked of middling importance by all Christians, Anglicans were especially more likely than average to attach weight to:

  • Ability to cut through Church bureaucracy – 56% (67%)
  • Respected – 56% (66%)
  • Ability to unite the Church of England – 44% (56%)
  • Ability to unite the Anglican world Communion – 32% (50%)

Twelve potential candidates for the next Archbishop of Canterbury were offered to respondents. Combining first, second and third choices, John Sentamu (current Archbishop of York) headed the rankings for all Christians, at 51%, well ahead of Tom Wright (former Bishop of Durham and now at the University of St Andrews) on 27%. James Jones (Bishop of Liverpool) was in third place (19%) and Richard Chartres (Bishop of London) in fourth (17%).

Anglicans were less likely (28%) than all Christians (41%) to express no preferences at all. They also voted more strongly than the norm for Sentamu (56%), Wright (37%), and Jones (28%).

Some have expressed concerns about Sentamu’s candidature on the grounds of his age (he is 63), and it is interesting to note that he was much less popular among Christians under 35 years (40%). However, he was favoured by those Christians wanting to see an Archbishop with a traditional interpretation of the Bible (63%).

The full data tables from this poll, extending to 52 pages, are freely available at:

http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/Premier_Archbishop_Results_July_12.pdf

 

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Faith and Death

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Clive D. Field

Although one-half of all Britons claimed not to belong to any religion in the latest (2010) British Social Attitudes Survey, 85% of the dying subscribe to some faith, according to a Government survey of their relatives published on 3 July 2012.

The First National VOICES Survey of Bereaved People: Key Findings Report was commissioned by the Department for Health, in line with the commitment made in the End of Life Care Strategy (2008). Fieldwork was undertaken by the Office for National Statistics.

A one in six sample of adult deaths was drawn from those registered in England between 1 November 2010 and 30 June 2011, and a self-completion postal questionnaire was sent to the bereaved informant in November 2011, 22,292 (46%) of whom responded.

The breakdown of ages of death was as follows: under 60 7%, 60-69 11%, 70-79 21%, 80-89 39%, 90 and above 23%. The concentration is inevitably in age cohorts which, in sample surveys of the living, tend to score quite highly on measures of religiosity.

Excluding nil or invalid responses, 15% of the deceased were reported by their relatives as having no religion, 83% as Christians, and 2% of other religions. The proportion of non-Christians is much less than in society as a whole, where they have a relatively youthful profile and thus a lower risk of death.  

Asked about the support which the bereaved had received from carers during the last two days of their life, spiritual support received the lowest rating (67% saying it had been excellent or good).

This compared with 80% for support to stay where the dying wanted to be, 79% for relief of pain, 74% for relief of other symptoms, and 71% for emotional support. 19% described the spiritual support as poor and 13% as merely fair.

The combined rating of excellent or good for spiritual support varied by cause of death. It was best (74%) in cases of cancer, with 63% for cardiovascular diseases, and 64% for other causes.

Place of death also made a vast difference to satisfaction with spiritual support: 91% for deaths in a hospice, 74% at home, 74% in a care home, but only 57% in a hospital. This finding could well fan the flames of debate about hospital chaplaincy.

Nevertheless, religious care seems to have been comparatively limited for patients who had been in their own home during the last three months of life. Just 4% of relatives mentioned help by religious leaders, against 20% by home care workers, 16% by nurses, 8% by social or support workers, and 7% by occupational therapists.

The First National VOICES Survey report is available at:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/files/2012/07/First-national-VOICES-survey-of-bereaved-people-key-findings-report-final.pdf

and Excel tables of data at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-266228

Other BRIN posts on religion and end-of-life care include:

http://www.brin.ac.uk/news/2011/death-and-dying-in-eastern-england/

and

http://www.brin.ac.uk/news/2010/doctors-and-end-of-life-decisions/

 

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Homophobia and Faith Schools

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Clive D. Field

Compared with five years ago, ‘[gay] pupils in faith schools are now no more likely to report bullying than those in non-faith schools, even though faith schools are still less likely than schools in general to take steps to prevent and respond to homophobic bullying.’

These are two of the key findings from The School Report: The Experiences of Gay Young People in Britain’s Schools in 2012, written by April Guasp and published by Stonewall (the lobbying organization for gays) on 5 July. It can be downloaded from:

http://www.stonewall.org.uk/documents/school_report_2012.pdf

The report is based upon an online survey completed, between November 2011 and February 2012, by 1,614 young Britons (aged 11-19) who were lesbian, gay or bisexual (or thought they might be) on their experiences in secondary schools and colleges.

The survey was conducted and analysed by Helen Statham, Vasanti Jadva and Irenee Daly of the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge. 29% of respondents said they had a religious belief, and 11% attended a faith school.

The results comparing faith schools with all schools have been extracted by BRIN from the report and are tabulated below:

  Faith schools All schools
The school says that homophobic bullying is wrong

37%

50%
The school responds quickly to homophobic bullying

24%

31%
Teachers who hear homophobic language never challenge it

36%

26%
Teachers and other staff make homophobic comments

22%

17%

Faith schools, therefore, still have some way to go to close the gap on other schools in their handling of homophobia, if these data are fully representative (unfortunately, the section on the survey methodology is extremely brief, but the sample will, presumably, have been self-selecting in large part).

 

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Women Bishops

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Clive D. Field

The Church of England’s General Synod may have passed an adjournment motion last Monday, to send the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure back for further episcopal review, but a majority of the general public seem to favour the idea of women bishops, according to two opinion polls released this week.

The first survey was undertaken by ComRes, on behalf of the Bible Society, with online fieldwork on 4 and 5 July 2012 among 2,117 Britons aged 18 and over. It was published on 9 July, to coincide with the anticipated (but unrealized) final vote on women bishops in General Synod. The full data tables have been posted at:

http://www.comres.co.uk/polls/Bible_Society_Women_Bishops_July2012.pdf

ComRes discovered that support for women bishops hovered around the three-quarters’ mark, depending a little upon question-wording. Thus:

  • 74% thought that the Church of England should allow women to become bishops;
  • 73% considered that the fact there was a debate at all showed the Church to be out of touch with society’s expectations of gender equality;  
  • 79% contended that, as women could already be appointed as vicars, they should also be able to become bishops;
  • 77% said that it would be wrong not to allow women to become bishops just because of their sex

Opposition to women bishops ran at 12% overall, peaking at 19% among the over-65s and 17% for professed Christians (against just 4% of those with no religion). 15% were undecided, including 25% of non-Christians.

On the other hand, opinion was finely balanced about whether the issue of women bishops was sufficiently important for the Church of England to be spending time discussing it at the moment. While 43% said that it was, 42% deemed it to be a lower priority for the Church than other topics. Scots (50%) particularly took the latter view.

Although 67% claimed that the debate suggested there were many Anglicans who were sexist, 44% (rising to 51% of Christians) agreed that opponents of women bishops were merely following a traditional interpretation of the Bible, rather than being sexist, and society ought to respect their values.

The second poll was conducted by YouGov and published today. The sample comprised 1,721 adult Britons, who were interviewed online on 8 and 9 July 2012. The results are available at:

http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/nlslrhqpzu/YG-Archives-Life-YG-FemaleBishops-130712.pdf

YouGov posed only one question. Reminding respondents that ‘the Church of England is still considering how to accommodate the appointment of female bishops’, it asked whether the Church should allow such bishops or not.

The proportion opposed was the same as in the ComRes study (12%), but the number in favour was reduced to 55%, mainly because there was an explicit ‘no opinion either way’ option, which attracted 30% of the total vote (and 40% in Scotland).

Meanwhile, the mind of practising grass-roots Anglicans on the subject of women bishops has been tested by Christian Research for Forward in Faith (which describes itself as ‘a worldwide association of Anglicans who are unable in conscience to accept the ordination of women as priests or as bishops’).

1,125 regular Anglican churchgoers (95% attending services once a week or more) were interviewed online between March and May 2012. The sample was unweighted but was said by Christian Research to align closely with the composition, in terms of age and churchmanship, of the Church of England as a whole.

48% of these Anglican worshippers wanted to see the consecration of women bishops in the Church of England as soon as possible, 22% within the next 5-10 years, 15% when a consensus is reached among all other churches, and 16% never.

Churchgoers were mostly sympathetic to the position of those who could not, in conscience, support women bishops. 44% said that such persons should not be forced out of the Church, 31% wanted some form of compromise to enable them to remain within the Church, and 7% even thought they should have the right to veto the introduction of women bishops.

 

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Sundays, Aliens and the Olympics

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Clive D. Field

Sundays, aliens and the Olympics are just three of the topics covered in research reports which have reached the BRIN in-tray over the last couple of days. Needless to say, they are not necessarily causally interconnected! Here are some of the findings relevant to BRIN readers:

Sundays

Sunday, the traditional day of rest and worship in Christianity, is considered the most boring day of the week by two-fifths of Britons. Three-quarters say that they often do not bother to leave their home on a Sunday, and 46% regularly go through the day without seeing or speaking to anyone (does that include live-at-home partners and children?) For 56% it is simply a lazy, ‘nothing’ day, with not even television a comfort: 57% claim there is never anything worth watching on the box. By late afternoon the ‘Sunday night feeling’ – the dread of the coming working week – is already bearing down on many people.

Source: Online survey of 2,000 adult Britons in June by OnePoll for Premier Inn. Summarized in the 72point blog of 6 July 2012 at:

http://digitalhub.72point.com/2012/07/sunday-blues/

Aliens

15% of Britons are convinced that ‘man has made contact with extra-terrestrial beings (aliens)’. Males (18%) believe this more than females (13%) and manual workers (17%) more than non-manuals (14%). In terms of age, belief is highest among those between 40 and 59 years (21%) and lowest for the 18-24s (9%). 66% deny that there has been any human contact with aliens, while 19% are uncertain. The question was posed as part of a survey into six ‘conspiracy theories’. Interaction with aliens was the third most prevalent theory, after belief that Princess Diana was assassinated (24%) and disbelief that Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy (17%).

Source: Online poll by YouGov among 1,752 Britons aged 18 and over on 19 and 20 June 2012. Data table available at:

http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/pzr1fuzydn/YG-Archives-Life-YG-Conspiracies-040712.pdf

Olympics

Although a minority (43%) of UK evangelical Christians are ordinarily interested in sport, with just 13% regularly participating in competitive sport, 79% feel that international sport is an excellent way of building friendships between nations, and 69% say they will be cheering on British competitors at the Olympic Games, which begin in London later this month. However, only 24% agree that the outlay of billions of pounds of public money on the Olympics has been well spent, and 30% consider that the Olympic movement is spoiled by competitors who cheat and take drugs.  

Source: The World on Our Doorstep?, the latest report in the Evangelical Alliance’s 21st Century Evangelicals series, and also covering attitudes to immigration and diversity at home, to overseas mission and other Christian causes, and to general international and foreign policy issues. It derives from an online survey of 1,151 UK evangelicals who are members of the 21st Century Evangelicals research panel (‘an opportunity sample of self-selecting volunteers’) in February 2012. The report can be downloaded from:

http://eauk.org/church/resources/snapshot/upload/The-world-on-our-doorstep.pdf

 

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Science’s Unanswered Questions

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Clive D. Field

‘Does God exist?’ is the third most important scientific question which Britons want answered, according to a survey of 2,000 adults published today and commissioned by UKTV’s Eden channel to inaugurate its July Science Month programming. The press release (which contains no details of fieldwork dates or methodology) is available at:

http://uktv.co.uk/network/item/aid/652946

The top ten scientific conundrums according to the public are:

1. Are we alone in the universe? – 54%

2. Will there ever be a cure for cancer? – 46%

3. Does God exist? – 39%

4. How big is space? – 33%

5. How and where did life start on earth? – 30%

6. Is time travel possible? – 29%

7. Will we ever colonise space? – 27%

8. What will replace oil and when? – 27%

9. How will the universe end? – 24%

10. How long can the human lifespan be extended? – 20%

All in all, an interesting blend of terrestrial and ethereal preoccupations!

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Church Statistics, 2010-11

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Clive D. Field

Church Statistics, 2010/11 (ISBN 978-0-9564659-2-4), the annual digest of data about the Church of England compiled by the Research and Statistics Department of the Archbishops’ Council, was published on 25 June 2012 and is available at:

http://www.churchofengland.org/media/1477827/2010_11churchstatistics.pdf

It comprises 34 tables and 41 figures relating to: parochial affiliation and attendance, 2010; church schools, 2011; cathedrals, 2011; licensed ministers, 2011/12; and parochial finance, 2010. There is also a five-page foreword highlighting major trends.

The attendance statistics were originally published on 19 January 2012 and were covered by BRIN at that time. See our post at:

http://www.brin.ac.uk/news/2012/anglican-churchgoing-in-2010/

The parish income and ministry statistics are now released for the first time. There is an accompanying press release, which can be found at:

http://churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2012/06/parish-income-and-ministry-stats-published.aspx

The financial headlines include falls in real terms between 2009 and 2010 both in overall parish income and in tax-efficient planned giving. This reflects the impact of the economic recession, although the Church of England feels that it has suffered proportionately less than many charities.

In terms of clergy, there is a long-term shift from stipendiary to self-supporting ministry. 52% of those ordained in 2011 entered stipendiary ministry compared with 78% in 1994. The number of women clergy, paid and unpaid, rose by 55% between 2000 and 2011, and women now comprise 22% of stipendiary and 54% of self-supporting clergy.

The Research and Statistics Department is currently undertaking a survey of its data users, as part of a process of organizational review and prioritization of activities, and some BRIN readers may wish to complete the questionnaire, which is at:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CofEDataUsers

Finally, we can note that the handouts and presentations from the Department’s latest annual Faith in Research conference, held on 9 May 2012, have now been posted on the Research and Statistics webpages at:

http://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/facts-stats/research-statistics.aspx

 

 

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Rural Church

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Clive D. Field

Rural Life and Rural Church: Theological and Empirical Perspectives, edited by Leslie Francis and Mandy Robbins was published last month by Equinox Publishing of Sheffield (ISBN 978-1-84553-984-9, £19.99, paperback).

It reprints, together with a new introduction by the editors, 28 articles originally published in Rural Theology, the peer-reviewed journal of the Rural Theology Association, between 2003 and 2009. The book’s full contents are listed at:   

http://www.equinoxpub.com/equinox/books/showbook.asp?bkid=501&keyword=rural life

The journal is not that widely available in public and academic libraries, so it is very helpful to have this selection of key essays brought together in reader form. BRIN users are likely to have a special interest in the following quantitative chapters:

Chapter 6 (Norman Morris and Lewis Burton): analysis of 1,983 comments made, between 1993 and 2004, in the visitors’ book of a village Anglican church in south Shropshire

Chapter 7 (Tania ap Siôn): analysis of 1,067 prayer requests left in a rural Anglican church in middle England over a 16-month period in the late 2000s

Chapter 12 (David Lankshear): secondary analysis of confirmation and other statistics for the Church of England between 1950 and 1999 for three groups of dioceses: rural, urban, and mixed 

Chapter 13 (Carol Roberts): secondary analysis of statistics of seven rural Anglican dioceses (Carlisle, Exeter, Lincoln, Norwich, St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Salisbury, and Truro) for c. 1960 and 2000  

Chapter 15 (Keith Littler, Leslie Francis and Jeremy Martineau): analysis of 765 comments by visitors to 163 rural Anglican churches in 1999

Chapter 17 (Emyr Williams, Leslie Francis, Mandy Robbins and Jennie Annis): analysis of the experience of 514 visitors to St Davids Cathedral (fieldwork date not specified)

Chapter 21 (Leslie Francis, Mandy Robbins, Angela Williams and Rhys Williams): psychological type profile of 185 rural Anglican churchgoers in Wales (fieldwork date not specified)

Chapter 22 (David Walker): profile and religious belonging of 1,454 adult attenders at harvest festival services in 27 rural churches in the Diocese of Worcester in 2007

Chapter 24 (Lewis Burton): deployment of clergy in the Church of England Diocese of York and the Methodist Church York and Hull District, reflected in a survey of 126 Anglican clergy and 46 Methodist ministers in 2003

Chapter 25 (Keith Littler): attitudes to baptism and confirmation of 384 Church in Wales clergy in 2003

Chapter 26 (Ann Howells and Keith Littler): attitudes to children receiving communion before confirmation of 400 Church in Wales churchwardens in the Dioceses of Bangor and Llandaff in 2003  

Chapter 27 (Christopher Rutledge): burnout of 318 stipendiary male clergy in the Church of England with responsibility for rural parishes (fieldwork date not specified)

Chapter 28 (Christine Brewster): happiness of 722 Church of England clergy responsible for three or more rural churches (fieldwork date not specified)

 

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House of Lords Reform

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Clive D. Field

The Government’s House of Lords Reform Bill, which was tabled and thus received a First Reading in the House of Commons on 27 June 2012, proposes that the United Kingdom’s second Parliamentary chamber be reduced in size and become mainly elected.

However, one-fifth of its membership would still be appointed, and, in the plans, there is a continuing place for Church of England bishops sitting as the Lords Spiritual, albeit their number would be reduced from the present 26 to 12 (five holders of nominated sees and seven ‘ordinary’ bishops). Details are at Part 4, Sections 19-23 of the Bill.

To judge by a YouGov poll on House of Lords reform, commissioned by The Sun and published on 27 June to coincide with the First Reading, a majority (56%) of the 1,614 adult Britons interviewed online on 25 and 26 June 2012 believed that, with the opportunity of reform in the offing, the time has come to remove Church of England bishops from the Lords entirely. 26% wanted them to keep their seats, and 19% had no opinion. Full data tables can be found at:

http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/s9zuj152zl/YG-Archives-YouGov-LordsReform-270612.pdf

Unseating the bishops was supported by a majority of all the three main political parties: 62% of Liberal Democrat voters, 53% of Labourites, but even 52% of Conservatives. There were regional extremes, with as many as 70% of Scots wanting the bishops out of the Lords (Presbyterian sentiments evidently die hard) but only 49% of Londoners. Men appeared to be keener than women to unseat the bishops, and the over-60s more than the 18-24s, but this was partly a function of the greater number of ‘don’t knows’ among women and the youngest age cohort.

Other surveys in very recent years have also suggested that just a minority of the public endorse the concept of Lords Spiritual in the upper chamber, for example:

  • January 2012 (YouGov): 24% wanted bishops to continue to sit and vote in the House of Lords, and 58% were opposed
  • April 2011 (Ipsos MORI): 26% supported an episcopal presence in the House of Lords, 32% were opposed, and 32% neutral
  • March 2010 (ICM): 21% thought it right for bishops to have automatic seats in the House of Lords, and 74% wrong

These results can be compared with the situation in July 2007 when ComRes found the public fairly evenly divided about the continued presence of the bishops in the House of Lords, with 48% agreeing and 43% disagreeing. So, attitudes to the Lords Spiritual may be hardening.

What these polls cannot tell us, of course, is the strength with which people hold their views against an episcopal presence in the House of Lords or their rationale for doing so.

Nevertheless, there will doubtless be some commentators who will interpret YouGov’s latest findings as further evidence of popular demand to terminate the constitutionally-embedded role of religion. And perhaps this may even tempt some Parliamentarians to move amendments to the Bill in an attempt to exclude the Lords Spiritual from a reformed House of Lords. Watch this space!

 

 

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