A growing number of people across Britain are unclear about basic Christian teachings, according to new research that finds religious uncertainty has increased considerably over the past eight years.
The findings, published in the 2026 State of Theology survey, point to a decline in familiarity with Christian doctrine among the general public, even as churches report signs of renewed interest in Christianity and an “influx” of newcomers attending services.
Conducted by Whitestone Insight in partnership with Ligonier Ministries UK, the study surveyed 5,177 UK adults between 23 and 27 January 2026, examining attitudes towards God, the Bible, salvation and other central Christian beliefs.
The survey also included an additional sample of 1,000 practising Christians, defined as those who go to church and read the Bible on their own at least once a month.
It follows an earlier survey in 2018, allowing researchers to identify changes in religious understanding and attitudes over time.
One of the most striking developments was the growing share of respondents who answered “don't know” when presented with statements about foundational Christian doctrines like justification, the Trinity and the Holy Spirit.
While uncertainty was already widespread in 2018, it has become considerably more prevalent, with close to half of this year’s respondents unable to give a definite answer to certain theological questions.
Over a third (39%) of UK adults said they did not know whether they agreed with the Christian understanding of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
More than half (56%) were uncertain about a statement concerning the Holy Spirit’s role in bringing about spiritual rebirth before a person comes to faith in Christ, while 46% could not say whether people are made righteous before God through faith in Jesus rather than their own works.
Ligonier said the survey “demonstrates that the UK is a mission field, a country where many people are unfamiliar with biblical teachings”.
It continued: “They suggest not that Christian doctrine has been roundly rejected, but rather that there is a rapidly increasing loss of basic theological categories among the wider public.
“In fact, there actually appears to have been a decline in the outright rejection of the supernatural claims of the Christian faith, such as the resurrection of Jesus or the reality of hell.”
Among UK adults, over a third (39%) disagreed with the statement that the biblical account of Jesus’ bodily resurrection was historically accurate, while 44% rejected the assertion that hell is a real place of eternal punishment.
According to the researchers, the overall picture suggests a population becoming less certain about religious questions rather than necessarily more hostile towards Christianity.
Summarising the findings, Whitestone Insight observed, “Hard secular certainty appears to be weakening.”
It added: “Britain may be becoming less confidently secular without becoming substantially more Christian.”
Alongside the growing uncertainty among the general public, the research identified a notable proportion of evangelical respondents who said they had only recently begun attending church.
For the purposes of the research, evangelicals were identified through their strong agreement with four statements concerning biblical authority, the importance of evangelism, Christ's atoning death and salvation through faith in Jesus alone.
Some 28% of evangelicals said they had started attending Sunday services for the first time as adults within the previous one to two years.
Those classified as “new evangelicals” were more likely to be aged between 25 and 44, male and from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The findings come amid ongoing discussion about changing patterns of religious engagement in Britain, following reports of growing interest in Christianity, particularly among younger generations.
Although claims of a widespread religious revival have been questioned, the researchers said their findings offered additional evidence that churches may be welcoming substantial numbers of newcomers.
However, the research also identified differences between newcomers’ understanding of Christianity and established evangelical teachings.
While 99% of new evangelicals affirmed belief in the Trinity and 97% accepted the bodily resurrection of Jesus, other responses suggested considerable uncertainty about the authority of Scripture and the uniqueness of Christianity’s claims about salvation.
For instance, 71% agreed that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam”.
Over half (57%) agreed that the Bible “contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true”.
The researchers suggested that such responses may reflect limited theological knowledge among those relatively new to church life, reinforcing the importance of discipleship and biblical teaching.
Among evangelical respondents overall, the survey found strong agreement with several traditional Christian doctrines.
Some 96% affirmed the Trinity, while 90% agreed that righteousness before God comes through faith in Jesus Christ rather than personal works.
On ethical and church-related questions, 87% agreed that abortion is sinful, 98% supported the belief that marriage was instituted by God as a union between one man and one woman, and 78% believed Christians have a responsibility to belong to a local church.
Nevertheless, the study also revealed areas where evangelical beliefs appeared inconsistent with historic Christian teaching.
Notably, 34% agreed with the statement that “Jesus was a great teacher but He was not God”, despite the centrality of Christ’s divinity to orthodox Christianity.
The researchers acknowledged that some respondents, particularly newer Christians, may have misunderstood the question or lacked sufficient theological knowledge rather than deliberately rejected the doctrine.
The survey also highlighted changing attitudes towards human sinfulness.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of evangelicals agreed that most people are fundamentally good despite committing sins - up from 48% in 2018, while fewer than half (47%) agreed that even the smallest sin deserves eternal punishment - down from 61% in 2018.
The researchers expressed concern that these responses may indicate a weakening understanding of the gravity of sin compared with the findings recorded in 2018.
Taken together, the findings present a complex picture of Christianity’s place in contemporary Britain.
The researchers concluded: “The 2026 State of Theology survey underlines the pressing need for faithful Gospel witness in a society where many people are unsure of their beliefs and are unaware that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone.
“The ‘new evangelicals’ need faithful biblical teaching so that they might grow in sound doctrine and godly living. This is an area of great opportunity and great need.
“And those in the UK who do not know Christ need exposure and access to the truths of Scripture through faithful churches and believers who extend the Gospel in obedience to our Lord’s command.”
