THE RESULTS of the 2021 Census has shown that almost two in five members of the public have no religion.
Since 2001, people have been asked what their religion is, instead of being asked about their beliefs or religious practices. The question is voluntary.
The percentage of people who identified as Christian fell from 59.3% to 46.2% of the population.
Following the announcement of the data, the Archbishop of York said the country had “left behind the era when many people almost automatically identified as Christian”.
Alternatively, those who stated they had no religion climbred from a quarter to 37.2%.
In Wales, this figure rose from 32.1% in 2011, to 46.5% of the population identifying as having no religion.
In England and Wales, the proportion of Muslims increased from 4.9% in 2011 to 6.5% last year.
Prof Linda Woodhead, from King’s College London claimed that ticking “no religion” does not mean having no beliefs.
She added: “Some will be atheist, a lot will be agnostic – they just say, ‘I don’t really know’ – and some will be spiritual and be doing spiritual things.”
The Office for National Statistics conducts the census every ten years. It was completed by more than 24 million households on March 24, 2021.
More data is expected in the coming years.
