Office for National Statistics – Integrated Households Survey: 71% of the British population describe themselves as Christian and 1% gay.
The Evangelical Alliance is reporting on new estimates of the religious profile of Great Britain published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The research by the Office for National Statistics entitled Integrated Households Survey: Experimental Statistics showed that 71 per cent of the British population describe themselves as Christians, confirming the last national census figures from 2001.
Forgive my cynicism, but I simply find this statistic hard to believe. Would I be alone in suspecting that many respondents tick the Christian box motivated by a cultural compulsion?
The British Religion in Numbers (BRIN) website has a lot more on this.
For those interested, the statistical bulletin and appended documentation can be found here.
The mainstream media have tended to major on the statistic from this research relating to the number of respondents identifying themselves as gay. It would appear this is around the 1% mark:
The first ever official count of the gay population has found that only one in 100 adults is homosexual.
The figure explodes the assumption - long promoted by social experts and lobbyists - that the number is up to ten times higher than this at one in ten.
[.....]
The Office for National Statistics said 1.3 per cent of men are gay and 0.6 per cent of women are lesbian.
This research does need fleshing out somewhat and BRIN have stated that they hope to undertake a fuller analysis of this and subsequent IHS data, which I will notify you of once available.
Interesting and revealing research nonetheless.
September 25th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
@webmaster,
“Forgive my cynicism, but I simply find this statistic hard to believe.”
I have no difficulty with this statistic it has been my assumption that the church abandoned christianity for political equality and correctness thus alienating the congregation and the general population.
There will be a reawakening of christianity in the UK in a form that will take everyone by surprise.
September 25th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
I don’t believe either of the statistics. I don’t believe that 1 in every 100 of the people I meet is gay, for instance. I hardly meet *any*.
Likewise 71% of Britian is not Christian, except in a folk-religion sense.
September 25th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
@ Roger Pearse: What a very odd thing to say. How can you possibly know you hardly meet any gay people? Do you ask people about their orientation? Just like that or later on in the acquaintance? Are all the replies truthful? Does this line of questioning affect your social life? Don’t you find it something of a conversation stopper? Has anyone thumped you?
I suspect you mean that you hardly meet anyone whom you feel you can be certain that they are gay. This is by no means the same thing.
September 25th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
Crikey webmaster! Barely a day back and already great grist to the mill. It’s good to have you back!
All sorts of quotes of the type “lies, damned lies and statistics” variety come to mind. The actual question asked was apparently:
“What is your religion – even if you’re not currently practising?”
And therby hangs a problem. If one looks at the BRIN numbers of people actually attending church on a regular basis we’re down to no more than 2-3% of the population! (depending on which figures are included).
Roger: Regarding hardly ever meeting Gays, I guess what your comment may reveal is that we live in very different parts of the same society. It could of course also mean that those with whom you regularly work/socialise with are less likely to admit to their true sexuality. I work in a large, diverse, mainstream “knowledge” business in the City and I have to say that I thought the figure way too low. But maybe people are just more open about it. I have observed that the further I get from London the less willing people are in general to openly admit to being Gay, even though in private they make no secret of it.
In the end, it surely doesn’t matter whether it’s 1%, 5% or whatever. Either one holds the view that homosexuality is criminal, and should remain outside the law, or one accepts them as full members of society. We should not need to have this discussion really.
One of the reasons why the Gay lobby is so outspoken is because, as a minority, it is the only way they can be heard.
Actually, maybe it’s the same with Atheists. Conscientious atheists (as opposed to those who just don’t even bother to think about God) quite probably still only account for a few % of the country. And until recently they felt no more able to declare their atheism than other minority groups, such as homosexuals.
In my own case, after formative years in a very conservative environment, I still find it uncomfortable to declare my atheism. My experience is that most people have no idea what it really means. Instead they see it as somehow threatening, and often, particularly amongst the older generation, assume it to be inseparable from Communism; and make all sorts of other false assumptions. It still feels as if atheists are viewed as a fundamental threat to society. But I see no real evidence that atheists are a threat. I will admit that people like Dawkins are often on dodgy ground when they discuss religion, but then so are many believers when they discuss atheism. Neither invalidates the stance of the speaker; just that they don’t fully understand the other side of the coin.
Anyway, back to the statistics: This 71% figure is probably not helpful for the Church, because it breeds complacency. Maybe the reason why most people do not get more concerned about insults to Christianity is that they do not feel seriously threatened.
Contrast that with Islam, which accounts for just a very small %age of the overall population. Like Gays, Atheists, and other monority groups, they feel they have to shout much louder to make their voices heard.
Sorry. This has turned into a bit of a rant. Anyway, I hope some of makes sense.
September 26th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Many, maybe most, gays are not overt. For various reasons, they “fly under the radar”; often to the extent of being married. It is only in rare urban circles that it’s easy to tell and then only among those who feel comfortable being ostentatious about their sexuality.
I remember a conversation I had with a Net friend in which he said “If you think it’s hard being a woman you should try being gay in Alabama.” He moved to San Francisco.
Most people don’t advertise their sexual tastes, whatever these tastes may be. Quite the reverse. That’s why I asked David how he could possibly know whether anyone was gay or not.
The figure produced by the ONS is very different to that provided by Gaydar, a gay dating site, which has 2.2 million British members. The disparity doesn’t surprise me at all. While being openly gay still carries risk and stigma most people would prefer to keep information on their sexual preferences out of Government hands.
September 26th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
@ Jim: I can’t really fathom why you “still find it uncomfortable to declare my atheism.” I mean is it any more uncomfortable than declaring “I’m a Mormon”?
I suppose I’m wondering exactly when you’d announce it. To whom and when? Because I can only imagine a few circumstances in which it would be appropriate for someone to announce “I’m a Catholic” or “I’m a Hindu”. Any of these remarks would be total conversation stoppers if you just plonked them into everyday chit chat.
I can imagine the subject coming up at a family celebration – wedding, christening – or when discussing religious news – e.g. the Pope’s visit – but there are very, very few other occasions when making any announcement of personal belief is suitable. The range of polite responses is pretty limited too. “Really?”, “How interesting,” or “I’m a (fill in blank) myself.”
Declaring your religious convictions (or lack of them) is really only appropriate when you’re engaged in deep and meaningful debate, in which case you’ve gone beyond mere polite chit chat. Bringing your atheism into general conversation is unacceptable but then so are declarations of faith, which have always been frowned on in polite circles.
N.B. Webmaster: this is why your blog is so valuable. I couldn’t discuss these issues in RL apart from with very close friends. The potential for offence is daunting.
September 26th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
I have no problem with either of these statistics. I would think that the 1% or so is about right among my friends and acquaintances. However, I live and move in the rarified atmosphere of the CCC. (Comfortable, Conservative, Countryside). Here a non – religious funeral is almost unheard of – that makes 95% ‘religious households’ on the above question. Church attendance is around 10% in the small villages and at Christmas and Easter, with visitors, it is sometimes more than the number of people living in the parish! Again, that is why a blog like this is so valuable. We DO NOT live in a homogeneous society and we can easily slip into a ghetto mentality, when I only meet with and talk to those of a like mind.
September 26th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Don’t get me wrong Sophie. I certainly would not throw this into a casual conversation. It tends to be a conversation stopper!
But at some point in a friendship it will come up, and it’s a shock to many people to discover my atheism. It’s a very absolute statement, and one which brooks no compromise. A sort of Marmite moment.
By contrast, if I just said I was a lapsed Christian it would be unremarkable. And this makes me uncomfortable. I know the stakes are high, and that there is a chance that the friendship will fizzle out as a result.
Sometimes it almost inevitably comes up with people who I do not know well. For instance, I do voluntary work with a local charity. A number of my fellow volunteers are devout Christians. I’ve been asked a number of times by different individuals which Church I attend. What am I to answer if not to be honest about my conviction?
And there has until relatively recently been a parallel in the workplace. With one of my previous employers, I know that if I had filled in the personal details form with the word “Atheist” instead of the routine “Cof E” it would have been significantly career limiting. I saw the effect it had on one of my colleagues. Yes, there are laws about this kind of discrimination, but that did not stop it happening – it’s just done in a rather devious and underhand manner.
October 6th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
@ Jim: Just realised I never responded to this. Doesn’t mean I didn’t think about it. I did. I was very surprised.
We must move in different circles, though I think of myself as quite conventional. Two of my friends are atheists, one very passionately so. Others are Christian or agnostic. I have one Muslim friend and a Buddhist, both friends for over 2o years. One of my oldest friends was very devout but lost his faith completely. I know such a variety of people that it really didn’t occur to me anyone would react strongly to the news that someone is an atheist.
However I know what you say about hidden discrimination in the workplace is true – I’ve experienced it and witnessed it. I wouldn’t be surprised if an open avowal of atheism would count against you in some American corporations. Some of these monolithic companies expect marriage, kids and church attendance from all their executives. Any one of these missing is a black mark.
However if you’re a white male atheist you’re probably still significantly less likely to experience discrimination than someone who’s black, female or follows a non-Christian faith. If you’re gay, though, all bets are off!
October 6th, 2010 at 10:56 pm
@Sophie,
“However if you’re a white male atheist you’re probably still significantly less likely to experience discrimination than someone who’s black, female or follows a non-Christian faith. If you’re gay, though, all bets are off!”
That is some persecution complex you have Sophie chill out a wee bit.
October 6th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
@ Goy: My statement’s not personal – it’s just common or garden boring fact. I was pointing out to Jim that at least in most senses he’s ahead of the game.
The most amusing example involves job applications. People have made good money by sending in two superb identical CVs, one with their real name, the other with a very British sounding name. When only the British name gets called for interview they’ve got the company bang to rights. Racial discrimination. Money straight in their pockets. One bloke made a living at it.
Whatever you think of the ethics of it (and the tribunals have caught on) it wouldn’t work if there wasn’t widespread discrimination.
October 7th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
I agree Sophie that I am very fortunate and privileged in respect of my profile. The discomfort is perhaps more internal, and to do with being somewhat brainwashed as a child in a rather conservative and religious environment – my family have been priests and soldiers for as far back as I can trace! I’m now ploughing a very different path, and that old guilt dies hard…
October 29th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Interesting update: What researchers say is the largest, most comprehensive national survey of Americans’ sexual behavior since 1994 has just been published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Covering ages 14-94, the study had 5,865 participants. It found that:
“While about 7 percent of adult women and 8 percent of men identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual, the proportion of individuals who have had same-gender sex at some point in their lives is higher.”