The world is shifting.
A recent study has revealed that more individuals in the United Kingdom identify as atheists than as believers in God, according to a research initiative that investigates the reasons behind religious rejection.
Launched in 2022, the three-year program titled Explaining Atheism, directed by Queen’s University Belfast in collaboration with other academic institutions, presented interim results earlier this year regarding levels of atheism across various countries, including the UK.
The research indicated that from 2008 to 2018, the proportion of people in the UK who do not believe in God rose from 35.2% to 42.9%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those expressing belief in God declined from 41.8% to 37.4%. Additionally, the number of respondents unsure about God’s existence decreased from 21.7% to 18.2%. This trend highlights a “relative majority” of the population across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland who do not subscribe to belief in God, despite the monarchy being the head of the Church of England.
Professor Jonathan Lanman, an assistant director at the Institute of Cognition and Culture at Queen’s University Belfast, is part of the research team for Explaining Atheism. In an interview, he remarked on the challenges of determining the reasons behind this shift but emphasized that socialization plays a crucial role.
“Our findings suggest that how one is socialized to believe in God—primarily through parents and society at large—is a key factor,” Lanman stated. He argued that while other elements such as gender, education, and cognitive biases can be relevant, they are significantly less influential than socialization.
Lanman also addressed common assumptions regarding atheism, stating that factors like intelligence or stability do not significantly impact religious belief. He refuted claims often made by both atheist activists and conservative commentators that intelligence or personal hardships lead to atheism.
While existing literature suggests a correlation between existential security and religious belief, with security leading to a decline in faith, Lanman pointed out that this effect is relatively minor compared to the role of socialization.
Regarding the underlying reasons for the increase in atheism in the UK, Lanman noted that the study lacks data to definitively explain this trend. He referenced the late Ronald Inglehart, who argued that a societal shift from “pro-fertility norms” to “individual-choice norms” plays a role in changing belief systems. Inglehart posited that as societies achieve greater economic and physical security, younger generations begin to take this stability for granted, leading to a decline in traditional beliefs.
Looking to the future, Lanman suggested that fears of a substantial negative impact from a growing atheist population, such as a loss of moral conviction, are likely overstated. He asserted that many atheists and agnostics share similar values with the general population, such as support for human rights and environmental concerns.
In recent years, numerous reports have highlighted a significant decline in Christianity and the Church of England in the UK. For instance, a 2017 study found that about one-quarter of Church of England congregations had no children attending worship services. Additionally, a 2019 survey from the National Centre for Social Research revealed that only 38% of Britons identified as Christian, marking the lowest percentage in nearly 30 years.
In a political context, last December, Liberal Democrat lawmaker Paul Scriven introduced a bill in Parliament aimed at severing government ties with the Church of England, which is currently under review in the House of Lords.