Sharp decline in number of atheists and humanists – but what does it mean?
The 2021 census has revealed a sharp decline in the number of people identifying as humanist and atheist. The census asked “What is your religion” and offered a tick box list including major world faiths and “no religion”. Underneath, people could write down how they self-identified and 57 categories were listed. Since the last census in 2011, atheists declined by 52.7 per cent; humanists declined by 32 per cent; and agnostics by 0.8 per cent. But the statisticians say it is not safe to assume that the number of atheists and humanists has dramatically declined, because some may have chosen to tick “no religion” and leave it at that. In fact Humanists UK tweeted: “We literally spent months telling our 100k members and supporters, along with members of the general public, to tick ‘No religion’ and *not* to write in ‘humanist’ or ‘atheist’. It was the largest census-related campaign in terms of reach (about 20 million pairs of eyes)”. Humanists UK have used the census results to call for them to be included in Thought for the Day, and to say it is time for change in relation to church schools, collective worship in schools, prayers in parliament and 26 bishops sitting in the Lords. The 2021 census showed an 8 million rise in the number of people describing themselves as having no religion, from 14.1 million in 2011 to 22.2 million in 2021, representing 37 per cent of the population. Office of National Statistics census figures show:
- Atheists declined by 52.7 per cent (from 29,267 in 2011 to 13,848 in 2021)
- Humanists declined by 32 per cent (from 15,067 in 2011 to 10,246 in 2021)
- Agnostics declined by 0.8 per cent (from 32,382 in 2011 to 32,114 in 2021)
Call to dismantle Church of England’s relationship with the state following census result
Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins says the case for dismantling the Church of England’s relationship with the state is overwhelming, after the 2021 census showed that Christian affiliation has dipped to 46 per cent. “It should retire from its prominence in state and civic ceremonies, remembrance days, judicial oaths, the BBC and the daily service” and it cannot justify privileged access to state schools or seats in Parliament. He says its buildings, “where they cannot sustain congregations, should be denationalised and passed to local parish or town councils, trusts or other local institutions, whether faith-based or secular”. His conclusions are the subject of lively debate on the letters page.
40 per cent of Muslims in England live in most deprived areas
The Muslim Council of Britain has produced an analysis of the census results detailing demographic details of Muslims in England and Wales. The MCB has linked the results with the Index of Multiple Deprivation, indicating 40 per cent of the Muslim population of England live in the most deprived fifth of local authority districts, while just under six per cent live in the most affluent fifth of local authority districts. The areas with the largest Muslim populations are Birmingham, Bradford, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Manchester and London Borough of Newham.
Satanism on the rise
The Telegraph looks at the rise of Satanism in the census, from 1,893 in 2011 to 5,054 in 2021, explaining that there has been a rise in reverence for the devil. It links this to the increasing popularity of the name Lucifer. There are more than 50 “other religion” groups identified in the census.
View our briefing on the census here and read our report here
Other news:
Pope, Archbishop and Moderator to visit South Sudan
Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dr Iain Greenshields, will visit South Sudan from 3 -5 February next year. A Vatican statement says the visit was due to take place in July, but postponed after the Pope was prevented from travelling on medical advice. It says the people of south Sudan face devastating flooding, widespread famine and continuing violence and the three leaders say they hope to contribute to a process of reconciliation.
Ex footballer on trial for fraud against large London church
A former Charlton Athletic footballer is on trial charged with fraud by false representation after losing £3.5m investments on behalf of the Kingsway International Christian Centre. Southwark Crown Court was told that Richard Rufus, 47, offered returns that were not met. He denies the charges. The trial continues.
Krish Kandiah’s adoption board role is ended
Krish Kandiah, leader of several Christian inspired social justice projects, has announced that he is no longer chair of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership board as it is being closed down by the government. The Department of Education said the decision follows a care review, which called for wider focus on kinship carers. In a leaving statement, Krish Kandiah listed the board’s successes and said he hoped financial investment and infrastructure would be forthcoming to bring radical changes to kinship care.
Britain’s first Muslim female football referee salutes world cup trailblazing officials
As an all female referee team took charge of the Germany v Costa Rica game in the world cup, Channel 4 took the opportunity to interview Britain’s first hijab wearing, Muslim, female football referee, Jawahir Roble, a refugee from Somalia who came to the UK aged 10. She said the world cup had made a significant decision and the choice was all about breaking down barriers, believing everyone has the opportunity whatever their race or religion.
Thailand monks high on drugs dismissed from temple
All four monks at a small Buddhist temple in Thailand have been dismissed after testing positive for methamphetamine. AFP reports that the temple was raided as part of a national campaign to crack down on drug abuse and the monks were taken away for drug rehabilitation. Worshippers who donated food have been told that new monks will be assigned to the temple. It is reported that methamphetamine has been flooding into the country from Myanmar via Laos.
