Nearly a third of Britons no longer identify as Christian by the time they reach adulthood, a major international study has revealed, underscoring a steady decline in adherence to traditional faiths across the country. Analysis passed pew research centerIt was found that around 30% of the UK population were raised in a Protestant or Catholic household but later abandoned their religious identity. The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,017 people across the UK. Data shows a huge gap between childhood feelings of belonging and adult beliefs. While 51% of respondents said they were Protestant, only 31% still identified with that denomination. About 23% said they were raised as Protestants but later left, while only 3% joined as converts. A similar trend exists within Catholicism. Although 16% of respondents said they were Catholic, only 11% still practiced Catholicism. Seven percent reported leaving Catholicism, while only 1% said they joined Catholicism without growing up. The study also sheds light on what happens when people leave organized religion. Among former Protestants in the UK, 87% now consider themselves non-believers, 4% have become Catholic and 8% have affiliated with another religion. Of those Catholics who grew up and left, 71% became nonbelievers, 14% converted to Protestantism, and another 14% converted to another faith. The report notes that the number of religious converts remains relatively low. Researchers describe the broader trend as “religious conversion,” a term used to reflect the way people move away from or move between different belief systems. “We use this term rather than ‘conversion’ because change can be multifaceted, ranging from being raised in a religion to leaving the religion, and may not involve a formal initiation process,” Pew Research Center said. This pattern is not limited to the UK. In 21 of the 24 countries analyzed in the study, more people are leaving Catholicism than joining the Catholic Church. Hungary is the only country to buck this trend. The Times quoted the report as saying: “In many countries around the world, ex-Protestants make up a sizable proportion of the population. In nine of the 24 countries we analyzed, the proportion reaches 10% or more.” While Protestantism made gains in parts of the world, particularly in Latin America, the opposite trend was seen in Britain. “Most of the countries with net gains for Protestantism were in Latin America,” Pew said. “Most Brazilians who converted to Protestantism were formerly Catholics. Sweden, the United Kingdom and Germany were among the countries with the largest net losses.”Public figures reflect this shift in belief. Actor James McAvoy, who said his grandparents were “very churchgoing Catholics” and attended church regularly, told The Times (UK) that he stopped going to church at the age of 16, adding: “The moment I was allowed to make my own choices, I stopped going to church.” The findings also cast doubt on claims of a widespread resurgence in religious beliefs among young people. The Times pointed out that the Bible Society retracted a report on the increase in Gen Z church attendance after YouGov’s underlying data was found to be flawed.
