In England and Wales, the majority of people are no longer Christian, for the first time in census history. The new information has increased demands to reduce the Church of England’s role as a state.
There are 46 percent of people who define themselves as Christians, compared to 59 percent ten years earlier. On the other hand, the number of non-religious people has clearly increased: they now make up 37 percent of the population, compared to 25 percent ten years earlier.
The trend, which has been visible in various studies for a long time, was confirmed in the results of the population census published yesterday, Tuesday. The data was collected in 2021, the previous one in 2011.
A census is taken every ten years in the countries of the United Kingdom. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, the census is done at a different time than in England and Wales.
– We have left behind us an era when many people almost automatically defined themselves as Christians, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell comment (you will switch to another service) fresh results of the census.
According to him, the figures are not surprising, but pose a challenge to the church to clarify its message.
In the recent population census, people have received the most attention religious identity (you move to another service) a breakup. Those who define themselves as non-religious can accommodate all kinds of people, says the professor of theology at King’s College London Linda Woodhead to the BBC (switching to another service).
There are atheists, agnostics and secularists. According to the professor, being religious doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t believe in anything.
– Some are spiritual and practice spirituality, although they do not see themselves as representatives of any particular religion, especially an organized religion, says Woodhead.
The share of Muslims in the population has increased
Although Christians are now less than half of the population of England and Wales for the first time, they still outnumber non-religious people or representatives of other faiths.
The change in people’s religiosity has largely been influenced by the diversification of society. The number of Islamic believers has also increased in ten years, although much less than the non-religious.
The share of Muslims in the population of England and Wales has grown from 4.9 percent to 6.5 percent in ten years. The growth in the number of other religions has been very small.
Differences in the socio-economic level of different population groups are also visible in religious denominations. The census shows that the majority of Muslims live in the poorest areas of England and Wales.
Different ethnic groups suffer from inequality of opportunities, says the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain Zara Mohammed For the Guardian magazine (you will switch to another service).
– Second and third generation Muslims live here now. There are more of us than ever, but we still live in the cycle of poverty and lack, says Mohammed.
Researcher: The king as the leader of the church does not make sense
The results of the census on people’s religious identities have led to even stronger criticism of the Church of England’s role as a state, says Guardian (switching to another service) and the experts it interviewed.
The celebration of Christian saints in public schools and the seats reserved for bishops in the upper house of the British Parliament have come under fire from secular organizations.
– The fact that Christianity is no longer the religion of the majority means that politics is a step behind society, says theology professor Woodhead.
In Britain, the monarch is the head of the Church of England. There are even fewer grounds for this historical arrangement, says a researcher familiar with religion and political science Scott Peterson from the University of Oxford.
– The king’s role as head of the Church of England made sense in 1650, but no longer in 2022, Peterson tells the Guardian.
King Charles’s the official coronation will not take place until next year. Christianity is traditionally very strongly present at coronations, which are traditionally held in Westminster Abbey.
However, the coronation ceremony is planned in accordance with the king’s wishes in such a way that it also takes into account the diversity and different religions of modern Britain, says Telegraph magazine (you will switch to another service).
“The Age of the Shy Englishman”
The peculiar result of the census is that the English seem to have abandoned the former in droves your national identity (you switch to another service).
In 2011, 58 percent of the residents of England and Wales considered themselves primarily English, and 19 percent considered themselves British. In the most recent population census, the results have been turned almost upside down.
The dramatic turn in national identity is, however, largely due to the research’s questioning, he writes Telegraph (switching to another service).
In the multiple-choice question, the option “British” was this time on the list above “English”, while previously it was at the tail end of the options. According to the ONS, which conducted the census, this has probably contributed to the great popularity of the answer.
However, according to Statistics Finland, the results may also partly reflect genuine social change.
Conservative MP by Andrew Bridge considers the result sad, but not surprising.
– I think it is wrong that all the negative history of our country is associated with the British, while honorable things are associated with the British in general. We are now living in the era of the shy Englishman, Bridgen commented to the Telegraph.
What thoughts are raised by the issues raised in the census of England and Wales? You can discuss the topic on 1.12. until 11 p.m.