Secularisation in 🇬🇧

1 reason for religion having less of an influence on society today

1. ⛪️ and State separation

Census (2021) — % of 🇬🇧 that goes to ⛪️ 2x=</month

6%

Census (2021) — average age of 🇬🇧 ⛪️-goer

61 y/o

Census (2021) — number of ⛪️ closed 2015-2025

3,500 (out of 140,000 total)

Census (2021) — % of 🇬🇧 citizens that 🙏

42%

Census (2021) — fastest growing religion in 🇬🇧

☪️

Census (2021) — number and % of ☪ in 🇬🇧, and in London

• 🇬🇧: 3.9m, 6.5%

• London: 1.3m, 15%

Wilson (1966) — definition of secularisation

Process whereby religious beliefs/practices/institutions lose social significance

Wilson (1966) — key finding

• 🇬🇧 has become a secular society

Berger (1969) — definition of secularisation

Process whereby sectors of society and culture are removed from the domination of religious institutions and symbols

Crockett (1998) — % of adult pop that attended ⛪️ on Sundays in 1851

40< %

% 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ⛪️ attendance — mid-19th Century

40%

% 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ⛪️ attendance — 1960s

10-15%

% 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ⛪️ attendance — 2020

4%

C of E Sunday attendance (number) — 1960

1.6m

C of E Sunday attendance (number) — 2020

<0.7m

Sunday school

• Attended by very small proportion of children

Smaller organisations

• Attendance increased or stayed steady

⛪️ weddings and baptisms vs proportion of ⛪️-goers

⛪️ weddings and baptisms > proportion of ⛪️-goers

% of 💍 in ⛪️ — 1971

59%

% of 💍 in ⛪️ — 2018

10%

Change in 💍 in Catholic ⛪️ 1965-2011

• Down by 3/4

Catholic baptisms 1964-2020s

• Decreased by 1/2<

Reasons for increase in bogus (older) baptisms

• Needed to get into well-performing ✝ schools

BSA (2018) — proportion of non-religious adults 1983

<1/3

BSA (2018) — proportion of non-religious adults 2018

½

BSA (2018) — percentage of people IDing as ✝ 1983-2018

Down by 40%

BSA (2018) — percentage of people IDing as ✝ C of E 1983-2018

Down by 75%

BSA (2018) — percentage of people IDing as ✝ methodist 1983-2018

Static at 17%

BSA (2018) — proportion of people IDing as ✝ denomination 1983

4/5

BSA (2018) — proportion of people IDing as ✝ denomination 2018

1/4

3 aspects of religious belief decreased

1. Belief in personal God

2. Belief in Jesus as son of God

3. Belief in ✝ teachings about afterlife and Bible

1 reason for decrease in religious instutitions today

1. State has taken over previous ⛪️ roles, confining religion to private spheres

⛪️ and education

• Faith schools now state-funded and adhere to gov’t guidelines

Proportion of C of E bishops who are Peers

• 26/106

• Way less than 19th C

BBC (2005) — 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🏫 and faith

• Legal requirement for 🏫 to provide daily collective worship of “broadly ✝ character)

• 1/2< 🏫 in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 do not

Decrease in clergy in 20th C

45,000 → 34,000

What the clergy would be today if aligned w/population growth

80,000

1965-2020 — Catholic priests

Down by 1/2

2020 — av. age of Anglican priests

52 y/o

Woodhead (2014)

• No longer enough troopers (priests) to keep the show (⛪️) on the road

Bruce (2002)

• If current trends continue

  • Methodist ⛪️ will fold by 2030

  • C of E will be small and voluntary w/more heritage property