Four weeks ago I was able to alert readers to the 2011 Census due on 27th March this year and show that because the data is collected and published for small areas it can be combined to produce statistics for individual parishes. In an earlier article I showed that, according to the last census in 2001, the percentage of the population identifying themselves as Christian averaged 68% across the diocese, with much variation from deanery to deanery.
Recently I was interviewed by local radio about a particular aspect of the 2011 Census. They were interested in how people should answer the question “What is your religion?” The first of the eight possible responses allowed for this question is “No religion”; the next is “Christian (including Church of England, Catholic, Protestant and all other Christian denominations)”. Apparently the British Humanist Association thought that only believers of a religion who worship regularly should tick a religion box; otherwise the “No Religion” box should be ticked. Apart from the difficulty of interpreting what “regularly” means, I was able to say that the Office for National Statistics says that the way in which people answer questions on religion is very sensitive to the exact question wording, this being particularly true for people who have a loose affiliation with a religion. The census in Scotland (and it’s very similar in Northern Ireland) has two questions. In 2001 these were: 1) What religion, religious denomination or body do you belong to?”, and, 2) “What religion, religious denomination or body were you brought up in?” These two questions hint at what might be going through minds in England when answering the single question “What is your religion?”
The Census is designed to collect details about every individual, although in 2001 it seems only 94% responded. It is reported that the administrative cost of the 2011 Census will be £480m so clearly 100% surveys are very expensive to operate. It is much cheaper to use sample surveys where, provided the samples are chosen in an appropriate way, the results can be reliable within predictable limits. One such survey is the British Social Attitudes Survey (BSAS) which has been around for more than 25 years with its 27th Annual Report being published only recently in December 2010.
This Survey is much respected and was quoted by the Bishop of Kingston in a recent Church Times. In his article entitled “What would it mean to place theology above all?” he drew attention to the most recent BSAS where more than half the British people had said they have “No Religion”. This got me thinking since the answer to the same question in the 2001 Census gave a very much lower proportion. I have results from earlier BSAS reports, from two more around the Millennium, and recent results could be found on-line. These paint an interesting picture which I’ve attempted to summarise in the table using rounded results over a period to mask year-on-year fluctuations. (Judged by the results in 2007 and 2008, the 2009 survey figure quoted by the Bishop of Kingston could be a little high).
|
Years % of respondents |
1983/1984 |
1999/2000 |
2008/2009 |
|
% No Religion |
32% |
42% |
47% |
|
% Christian |
66% |
54% |
47% |
|
% C of E / Anglican |
40% |
28% |
21% |
|
% Roman Catholic |
11% |
9% |
9% |
The Bishop points out that the authors of “The Faith of Generation Y” (Church House Publishing, 2010) say that religion is largely irrelevant to most of those aged 18 to 30 years and that the way Churches respond to this situation is absolutely central to the future of the Christian faith in our country. The figures in the table seem to support that argument.
Canon Don Cardy
3rd February 2011