Featured image credits: David Tato on Unsplash
Newly released data from the 2021 census by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) has shown that the UK has ceased to become a nation with a Christian majority. Only 46.2 per cent of the population now identify as Christian.
The census is carried out every 10 years by the ONS, and the previous one was taken in 2011.
Chart showing religious preferences in the UK and Wales | Credits: Hannah Rachel Abraham
In response to the voluntary question ‘What is your religion?’, 6 per cent of census takers declined to provide an answer. Out of 56 million people polled, 27.5 million described themselves as Christian. The ‘No religion’ option was the second most common answer, seeing a 12 per cent increase in numbers since 2011.
In response to the census, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell said: “We have left behind the era when many people almost automatically identified as Christian.”
Undeterred by the figures, he said the data “throws down a challenge to us not only to trust that God will build his kingdom on Earth but also to play our part in making Christ known.”
Tower Hamlets, London, has been shown to have the lowest Christian population, with 22.3 per cent. The area also comprises a 39.9 per cent Muslim population, which is the highest in the country. Birmingham and Leicester have emerged as two of the most ethnically diverse areas in the UK, with white people in the minority.
Of those who chose to identify under the ‘Any other religion’ category, Pagans have come out as the largest category, with 74,000 people. Shamanism has seen the greatest increase in members, going from 650 in 2011 to 8000 in 2021.
Deborah Henney, who is currently pursuing an MPhil in Theology at the University of Oxford, spoke of the emotional impact of the news on the Christian community. She said: “It’s probably not unexpected. I don’t know if the numbers reflect a change in the actual number of committed Christians as opposed to nominal ones, but there is a definite feeling of loss.”
She also referenced the declining number of people attending churches in recent times. “Christmas services at my church used to be packed when I was younger, and now maybe fifty people show up.”
Data released by the Church of England has shown weekly attendees dropping from over a million in 2009 to 850,000 in 2019 – a drop of 20.9 per cent.
The new census figures have led to calls for the disestablishment of the Church of England, of which the monarch is the Supreme Governor.
More numbers from the 2021 census are set to be released in stages over the next two years.