UK: less than half of Brits identify themselves as Christians. Number of churchgoers also down

The number of Christians in England and Wales, where there are around sixty million citizens, is about to fall below 50% of the population for the first time. This is according to the statistics taken from the 2019 national census which gives a detailed picture of religions in the UK. The data were analysed by the UK Office of National Statistics according to which two years ago more than half of the population, about 51%, identified themselves as Christians. This represents a fall of almost 8.3 points compared to the latest figures from 2011. The “No Religion” box was the second most popular choice, and citizens who preferred this option rose to 38.4% from 32.3% a decade earlier. For years Christian Churches in the UK have been experiencing a decline in Mass attendance on Sunday, a situation that mostly affects younger generations. Also in the 2019 census, over half of those in the 20 to 30 age group reported having no religion. That is 53% of those aged between 20 and 29, a figure that contrasts with 27% of those in their sixties who still go to Church. This situation may get worse with the pandemic. According to a study by the research consultancy “Savanta ComRes”, over two-thirds of UK Christians will not go back to attending religious services as often as they did before the pandemic.
Gianni Borsa