Religion not a moral priority for many young people

Having religious beliefs is not viewed as a moral priority by many young people, a survey by BBC Religion and Ethics has found.

The BBC asked 600 people aged 16 to 24 which moral issues from a list of eight were most important to them.

Caring for the family came out on top with 59%. Just 4% said having religious faith was important to them.

When asked for the least important issue, a third chose religion.

After caring for family, 12% said putting others first was a moral priority.

This was followed by 8% who chose being faithful to a partner. Five per cent said caring for the environment was important, while 4% chose paying taxes.

Another 4% chose playing a part in the local community as the most important. One per cent said buying ethical products was.

The figures were released ahead of the publication of the latest British Social Attitudes Survey on Monday, which is expected to show a further drop in religious affiliation among young people.