How many non-religious people are there?

According to the British Social Attitudes Survey (BSAS) over half the population of the UK are non-religious (53% in 2016). This figure has grown steadily over the past thirty years. The 2011 census gives a lower figure of 25%. One possible explanation for this is that the census asks the question ‘What is your religion?’ which assumes the person answering the question has one.

The BSAS reveals significant diversity in religiosity between age groups, with a greater proportion of young people describing themselves as non-religious than older people (72% for the 15-25 year old age group). This might appear to indicate that people become more religious as they get older, but other research does not appear to indicate that. For every person brought up in a non-religious household who becomes religious as they go through life, 19 people travel in the opposite direction. The differences in the data by age are therefore due to generational differences.

Question: What might the future religion and belief landscape look like in the UK?

Who are the non-religious?

Not all the people who tick the non-religious box are the same. Some may hold some religious beliefs (such as believing in a god or an afterlife). However, most don’t. It’s important to recognise that there is diversity within the religious as well: many hold non-religious beliefs. Surveys reveal that a significant proportion of Jews and Anglicans are uncertain or do not believe in a god.

When it comes to religion it’s often helpful to think about the 3 Bs: belonging, beliefs, and behaviour. It’s possible to be religious or nonreligious in one sense, but not in another, as in the case of the non-religious person who might believe in an afterlife, or the the Jewish atheist.

How many humanists are there?

Around 5% of the population self-identify as humanist. However, many more hold humanist beliefs and values but do not use the label to describe themselves. Sometimes this is a personal choice not to use the label. Often it is because people are not aware of the label or what it means. The label ‘humanist’ is often employed differently to a label such as ‘Christian’ or ‘Muslim’. Religious labels are often applied before or during the formation of associated beliefs, while many humanists discover the label later in life and realise it applies to the beliefs and values they already held.

According to Dr Lois Lee (Uni of Kent), Principal Investigator, Understanding Unbelief programme:

‘Around a quarter of the UK population have a worldview that is mainly humanist, and… humanism likely plays a role in the beliefs and outlooks of others too.’

Question: Can one be a humanist and not know it?

Data sources:● British Social Attitudes Survey ● In Defence of Belief, Jon Lanman (2008) ● British Religion in Numbers, analysis based on British Social Attitudes Survey 2008 ● ComRes BBC Religion & Ethics Survey 2017 ● YouGov/Times survey Feb 2015 ● YouGov online poll for Humanists UK

What is a non-religious worldview?

The Commission on RE’s final report defines the types of worldviews to be studied in RE as those that ‘make ontological and epistemological claims (claims about the nature of reality and how we know things) as well as political and moral ones.’

Humanism is a non-religious worldview as it makes claims about both the nature of reality and how we should live and treat each other. Humanists believe the world is a natural place, with no supernatural side, and that reason and evidence provide the best guide to understanding reality. Believing this is the one life we have, humanists believe we have the freedom and responsibility to shape our own lives. They makes their ethical decisions based on reason, empathy, and a concern for human beings and other sentient animals.

Atheism is not a worldview. It is an answer to the question of whether one believes in a god or not. The word ‘atheist’ comes from the ancient Greek, meaning ‘without god(s)’. It means the absence of belief in a god or gods, or living your life as though there were no gods. It’s important to recognise that many atheists do not claim they have proof that a god does not exist. They just see no reason to believe, and believe the evidence (or absence of it) makes the existence of a god extremely unlikely. Knowing someone is an atheist, does not tell you anything else about that person’s beliefs or behaviour. Many people who describe themselves as atheists will hold humanist beliefs and values. However, it is also possible to be a nihilistic atheist, a postmodern atheist, or a Jewish atheist.

Agnosticism is not a worldview. It is an answer to the question of whether one can know whether a god exists or not. The word ‘agnostic’ comes from the ancient Greek, meaning ‘without knowledge’. Agnostics claim it is impossible to know whether there is a god or not. They believe there can be no proof either way. It is possible to be an agnostic and an atheist: to accept that one cannot know, but also to choose not to believe and live one’s life as though there were no gods. Knowing someone is an agnostic, does not tell you anything else about that person’s beliefs or behaviour.

Secularism is not a worldview. Sometimes people mistakenly associate secularism with atheism or even being anti-religious. However, secularism is a political idea, a way of organising a state and its society in relation to religion and belief. Secularists generally support three goals: the separation of religious and state institutions; freedom of thought, conscience, and religion for all; and equal treatment of all regardless of their religious or non-religious worldview. Humanists are typically secularists, but so are many religious people.

The fact that atheism, agnosticism, and secularism are not worldviews does not mean that they should not be studied in RE. They are all concepts worthy of exploration, but they should not be presented as worldviews.

Non-religious people will use other labels to describe themselves. Some of these will hold worldviews identical or very similar to humanism (freethinkers, rationalists). Others will not (objectivists, postmodernists, nihilists).

How to present humanism and avoid misconceptions

● It is important to present humanism positively. That is not to say that teachers must tell students that humanism is a good way to live (like any worldview, that is open for discussion in the classroom). It is to say that one should present students with the the things humanists do believe in (e.g. freedom, reason, empathy, human rights, making the most of the one life we have), not just the things they don’t (e.g. gods, an afterlife).

● Humanism should not simply be presented as something that defines itself in relation to religion. Many humanists do not concern themselves with religion at all.

● Humanism is as opposed to atheist totalitarianism (e.g. Stalinism) as it is to religious authoritarianism. It is not utopian: humanist do not believe in a perfect world, but believe we can build a better one. Humanists are also typically opposed to egoism, relativism, and nihilism.

● Sometimes people will describe themselves as ‘religious humanists’. This may be because they feel they belong to a religion in a cultural sense but hold humanist beliefs. However, some may hold religious beliefs and define humanism differently. Most modern dictionary definitions of humanism today, however, define humanism as a non-religious worldview and define humanists as either atheists or agnostics.

● Sometimes people ask if humanists care only about human beings and not other animals or the rest of the natural world. Humanist are typically concerned about animal welfare, believing we should work to reduce the suffering of all sentient creatures, and support work to reduce the human impact on the environment. They will differ on their attitudes towards eating meat.

● Some humanists may use the word ‘spiritual’ to describe themselves. When doing this, typically they are using the word to describe a natural feeling of awe and wonder or connection, not a belief in anything supernatural.

● Humanism is not simply a modern Western phenomenon. Humanist approaches to life have a long and diverse history, and humanist thought can be found in writings from ancient India, China, and Greece.

● It is important to use a range of voices when presenting humanism (Richard Dawkins is not the only example). There is diversity within humanism.

The board of the International Humanist and Ethical Union