The current state of religious belief in Britain
The latest data on religious belief in the UK comes from the 34th British Social Attitudes BSA) survey conducted by the National Centre for Social Research. It might surprise many non-Britons who think that the UK is still basically a religious nation and it might surprise some Britons who seem to think that the UK is going Muslim.
Some 53% now declare that they have no religion. Only 15% call themselves Anglican, while 9% are Catholic and a further 17% opt for the category of other Christian. This means that the majority of the population is non-religious and only 41% in total are Christian – so the UK can no longer be regarded as a Christian country.
Those who say that they belong to non-Christian religions are a mere 6%, so to view Britain as increasingly Islamic is a massively exaggerated and irrational fear.
I am a member of the 53%, but I have family and friends who are religious and respect their beliefs. So: does religion matter? It depends. There are problems with religion, as I have discussed in this short essay.