Despite the gloomy narrative being pushed by the media, a new survey has revealed that reports of God's death in Britain, and across the Western world, may be exaggerated.
Commissioned by author Christopher Glasson in the leadup to the release of his new book, The Devils' Gospels: Finding God in Four Great Atheist Books, the Belief in Britain Report saw OnePoll survey 10,000 Britons to discover their thoughts on religion—and delivered some surprising results.
"What is surprising is that young people seem more inclined to spirituality than old people," Glasson told The Sunday Times. "This could be because of societal change: the financial crisis, Covid, the epidemic of loneliness all might encourage young people to look beyond the material world for meaning.
"It could also be because no one ever asked this question before: young people might simply be more idealistic."
Contrary to popular wisdom, the results suggest that atheism may have peaked among Generation X, those aged between 45 and 60, with a quarter identifying as atheists. This was higher than the 20 per cent reported both by the Baby Boomer generation (those over 65) and Millennials (aged between 25 and 44). But, what will give those in the Church the most hope is that only 13 per cent of respondents under 25 identify as atheists, with 62 per cent saying they are "very" or "fairly" spiritual.
However, Glasson warned that church leaders should not be too quick to seize the results as a sign that Christian belief in the West is not facing serious challenges.
"I imagine many church leaders will be rubbing their hands thinking this is the answer to their prayers but unfortunately for them, it isn't," Glasson told The Sunday Times.
Saying that it was time to "go back to the vestry for a rethink", he added, "Whatever the survey might say about young people being more spiritual and religious than old people, it is equally clear that they are put off by established religion."
The survey found that the Church as an institution has been damaged by the many public scandals it has faced over the years, and that many young people find it hard to engage with traditional expressions of faith.
"The largest proportion of Christians (43%) have their own idea of God while a further 9% don't accept every aspect of the religion," Glasson wrote as part of his report on the findings.
"This suggests that the Church's interpretation of God is at odds with the majority of Christians' understanding of God.
"It seems to imply that Church leaders should listen more if they want to win back their flocks."
One way of bridging this gap could be becoming more present and supportive in local communities, with almost a third (32%) flagging this as a priority. Only slightly less (31%) called on religious groups to respond to claims or incidents of abuse in the Church with honesty and by implementing effective preventative measures if they wanted to rebuild trust.
The survey collected responses from a range of ages, with 1,039 under 25, 1,696 aged 25-34, 1,637 aged 35-44, 1,667 aged 45-54, 1,605 aged 55-64. and 2,356 over 65. While 69 per cent aged over 65 identified as Christian, young people reported far more diverse beliefs. Among those aged under 25, 40 per cent identified as Christians, with Muslims making up 21 per cent and Hindus 3 per cent.
This backs the findings of reports showing Christian parents have been typically less successful in passing their faith down to their children compared with Muslim parents. Muslims were also much more likely (41%) to "worship regularly and accept the authority of the leaders of my faith" than Christians (14%).
While the survey reveals a number of challenges facing traditional Christian churches, with many young people reporting that they were more likely to express their spirituality through "enjoying nature" and "mindfulness" than "participating in religious practices", it also shows that there is an opportunity for the church to recapture the spiritual battlefield.
"What I think is happening now is that we have two generations of people (the Millennials and Generation X) growing up in Britain feeling emotionally bereft and struggling with conventional material life goals," Glasson wrote in his conclusion.
"I am sure that this is an opportunity for all kinds of spiritual entrepreneurs, but I don't think we should write off conventional Christianity just yet."
