Why are people in Britain turning away from Christianity?

Answer 1

A:In the 2011 YouGov@Cambridge census of British life and attitudes, 55 per cent of the adult population claimed to be Christians. This compares with 71.6 percent of the population in the 2001 census. Some of this difference could be accounted for by differences in the way the question was asked, or the greater willingness of people to be open about their real beliefs. Nevertheless, there does seem to have been a substantial fall in Christian belief. 38 per cent of the age group 18-34 identified as Christians, whereas 70 per cent of those over 55 said they are Christians. This shows that the trend is more extreme among the younger, better educated age group, but even older Britons are turning away from Christianity.

The trend can be expected to continue or even accelerate, as the largely secular younger cohorts move into the older age groups, replacing their elders.

No one has been able to establish exactly why the fall in Christian belief is happening. Evidence around the world suggests that improvements in education correlate with lower religious affiliation, and the younger generations in Britain are certainly more educated than the older citizens were.

In 2011, only 34 per cent said they believed in a personal god or gods, which is even lower than the answer on religious affiliation would imply. This does not support the view that the main reason people are turning away from formal Christianity is lack of faith in the institutional Church or abhorrence at sexual practices among some clergy lay persons associated with the Church, although these reasons could play a part.

The low rate of belief in God suggests that perhaps people begin to move away from belief in God before they cease to identify themselves as Christians. If so, many of those who now identify as Christians but who do not believe in God, will eventually identify as non-Christians.