Ethics and Religion in Britain Today

Professor Linda WoodheadLancaster University, UK

No God Prob no God

Don't know Prob God Def God,

non GFNon part

GF Part GF Total

Moral score: 0=“liberal"3="strict moral minority"

0 6.9% 4.7% 2.8% 3.9% 2.5% 0.2% 0.2% 21.2%

0.5 4.9% 3.8% 4.1% 4.7% 3.2% 0.1% 0.3% 21.0%

1 4.1% 3.3% 3.8% 5.6% 4.5% 0.6% 0.7% 22.6%

1.5 2.6% 2.0% 3.8% 4.4% 3.9% 0.4% 1.1% 18.3%

2 0.7% 0.7% 1.0% 1.7% 2.6% 0.5% 1.1% 8.4%

2.5 0.3% 0.4% 0.7% 0.7% 1.8% 0.7% 0.9% 5.5%

3 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 0.7% 0.4% 1.6% 3.0%

Total 19.5% 15.1% 16.2% 21.0% 19.4% 2.9% 5.9%100.0

%

A liberal, democratic/egalitarian ‘moral majority’ of 80-90% of the GB population

A strict moral minority of 9.5%

A very religious moral minority of 3.6%

Which, if any, of the following do you rely on MOST for guidance as you live your life and make decisions?

Own reason and judgement 41%Own intuition or feelings 22

Family 13God or 'higher power' 6

Trusted friends 3The teachings of my religion 2

Science 2Deceased loved ones 1

Religious leaders, local or national 0The religious or spiritual group to which I belong 0

Great literature and art, past and present 0None of these 4

Don't know 5

YouGov Westminster Faith Debates Poll 2013Total sample size 4,437 adults. Fieldwork undertaken between 25th - 30th

January 2013. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are

representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

SocialismFaith in the CityClergy?

Old Tory (Republican party)

Labour partyLarge % GB popn

Tory party Large % GB popn

economically communitarian

Morally communitarian/paternalist

Morally liberal

Economically liberal

Should same-sex couples be allowed to get married?

All

Should 52%

Should NOT 34%

Don’t know 14%

All religious adherents

43%

43%

14%

Church of England

44%

43%

14%

Catholic

44%

41%

15%

Religious by age

Christians by age

Today 41% of us believe in angels53% believe in an afterlife 70% believe in a soul – all higher, often double, than when the

records began (but belief in fortune telling and astrology have not risen).

(British Religion in Numbers)

Religious Roman Catholic Baptist, Charismatic, independent churches

28 % 28% 44%

Profile of Churchgoers in England, 2005

Source: Peter Brierley

New-style religion

1. The mini, the maxi and the occasional

2. Voice and choice

3. Variety, and identity as a contested (individual) achievement

4. Life-path religion – an economy of enchantment