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The Guardian reports this extremely interesting set of British attitudinal survey results. Check the ones on religion out:

 

Religion

Which of the following religions or belief systems, if any, do you associate with?

Church of England = 33%

Catholicism = 10%

Other Christian = 9%

Islam = 3%

Hinduism = 2%

Judaism = 1%

Other religion = 3%

Agnosticism = 17%

Atheism = 21%

Do you actively practise your religion, eg you attend regular religious services?

Yes = 29%

No = 71%

Base: all who associate with a religion

x

Pinterest

 

Britain is a largely secular country with only 18% actively practising a religion and one in five (21%) describing themselves as atheist. A further 17% describe themselves as agnostic. Only one in three Britons (33%) associates with the Church of England. Among this group only 18% actively practise their religion. This equates to just 6% of the nation. In total, 61% of Britons associate with a religion but it is only a minority of that group (29%) who actively practise their religion. Muslims are most likely to actively practise their religion (59%).

There are big differences on the basis of ideological outlook. Those who self-define as left wing are significantly less likely to associate with a religion than those who define their outlook as right wing (49% and 71% respectively). However, while 65% of leftwingers who associate with a religion actively practise it, the same is true for just 33% of rightwingers and 26% of centrists.

A majority of Britons (82%) do not actively practise a religion and a clear majority of the population (61%) agree with that “These days religion is a negative influence in the world rather than a force for good.” Unsurprisingly, those who associate with a religion are less likely to hold this view.

A TIPPLING PHILOSOPHER Jonathan MS Pearce is a philosopher, author, columnist, and public speaker with an interest in writing about almost anything, from skepticism to science, politics, and morality,...

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