Belief, Faith and Religion: Shifting attitudes in the UK

The UK public are now among the least likely internationally to believe in God, following a long-term decline in belief since the 1980s, according to a new study. The research, led by the Policy Institute at King’s College London, also finds that the share of the population who say God is not important in their life is at a record high, having doubled compared with four decades ago. Belief in heaven has decreased over the same period, but belief in life after death and hell has remained stable, with younger generations more inclined to believe in both – despite being less religious generally. At the same time, the proportion of Britons who consider themselves religious has nearly halved, and out of 24 countries included in the research, only four are less likely to identify as religious than the UK. But while the country is becoming less religious, the UK is second only to Sweden for trust in people of different faiths, and has high religious tolerance as well as increasing confidence in churches and religious organisations.