Christian leaders and commentators have responded with a mixture of disappointment, caution and continuing optimism after Bible Society withdrew its widely discussed Quiet Revival report, following an admission that polling data used in the study was unreliable.
The report, which attracted significant attention for suggesting church attendance in Britain was rising sharply, especially among young adults, has now been pulled after YouGov said key quality-control systems were not activated in the 2024 survey because of human error.
Bible Society said the findings can no longer be treated as a "reliable" guide to Britain’s religious landscape.
Among those responding was Tim Wyatt, an early critic of the report, who in a lengthy and scathing blog post, said the "central hypothesis has been proven to have been built on sand".
"We need some accountability here, and more than a little humility. Maybe we could begin with an apology, and go from there?" he said.
Christianity magazine editor Sam Hailes called the news as “shocking” and “disappointing”, and agreed that the sceptics of the original report deserved an apology.
At the same time, Hailes argued that Christians should not lose heart, writing that the flawed YouGov data did not mean that every sign of spiritual change has vanished. He maintained that although the Quiet Revival report had collapsed, “many other reports have independently pointed to a change in the spiritual atmosphere.”
He added: “While we are certainly experiencing something, whatever this something is, it’s not revival. The 'quiet revival' phrase must, like the report, die its death.”
Similarly, writer and broadcaster Justin Brierley, writing on X, described the development as “significant”, “very unexpected” and disappointing, although he noted that the collapse of one dataset does not settle the wider question of whether faith is regaining attention in Britain and beyond.
He wrote: “The ‘rebirth’ is by no means disproved by one flawed set of data.”
Also reacting on X was apologist Andy Bannister, who said he had raised concerns about the dataset when the report first appeared, but added that he was uplifted by indications of God’s work across the UK.
Evangelical Alliance’s Gavin Calver said on X that the report was only one part of a much broader picture suggesting a growing openness to Christianity.
He pointed to what he described as increasing spiritual interest, as well as numerous accounts of conversions and renewed engagement with the gospel.
“It definitely feels like we are in a new season of openness to the gospel, and I hope and pray that any further research tells this story,” he wrote.
In a short video posted on X, Peter Lynas said he was saddened by the news but urged people not to ignore other indicators of religious interest, including Bible sales, student engagement with Scripture, and testimonies of people encountering Christianity online and in person.
He said: “There are incredible things happening. Some are going to say that that is wrong, that’s not true. Some are going to ignore other stats. They should look at them. Some are going to ignore the stories of what is happening, but we know God is on the move and our job is to get alongside what He’s doing in this moment.”
Pastor Jonathan Oloyede, founder and CEO of the National Day of Prayer & Worship, said that although the withdrawal of the report was concerning, it did not alter what many churches were already seeing – “a fresh movement of the Holy Spirit stirring across our nation.”
He said that evidence from the Shine Your Light evangelistic programme, involving over 2,500 churches and groups, pointed to growing openness to the gospel and the Bible, and increased outreach activity.
The retraction marks a sharp reversal for a report that had been celebrated in some Christian circles as evidence of a surprising return to churchgoing among younger generations after many years of decline.
The original findings, commissioned by Bible Society and based on polling by YouGov, claimed that monthly church attendance had risen from 8% of adults in 2018 to 12% in 2024. Among men aged 18 to 24, the report suggested the figure had climbed from 4% to more than 1 in 5.
Those conclusions were challenged almost from the outset.
Critics including David Robertson, The Church Mouse, and social scientist David Voas argued that the findings sat uneasily with attendance records from major denominations and with long-running probability-based surveys, which generally showed only modest post-pandemic recovery.
Later, analysis from Pew Research Center also questioned whether opt-in surveys could bear the weight of claims about a broad-based revival among young adults.
Bible Society had previously defended the research but says it was informed in March that YouGov had failed to deploy safeguards intended to filter out duplicate responses, non-UK participants and answers from respondents who had simply clicked through the survey.
In a public statement, Bible Society chief executive Paul Williams said the organisation was “deeply disappointed,” while YouGov chief executive Stephan Shakespeare apologised and said the polling company took “full responsibility.” Bible Society said it had accurately reported the information it had been given.
Even as it withdrew the original study, Bible Society insisted the broader story may not be wholly overturned.
In a new follow-up publication, The Quiet Revival One Year On: What’s the Story?, it argues that while the flawed survey means the original headline numbers cannot be relied upon, other strands of evidence still suggest a shift in Britain’s spiritual climate.
That replacement report points to a decline in nominal or inherited Christian identity, while arguing that active and intentional Christian commitment may be strengthening in some quarters, especially among younger people.
It highlights signs of wider spiritual openness among Gen Z, including stronger interest in prayer, the Bible and religious questions, even among those who say they have no religion.
The report also points to sharp growth in Bible sales, increased engagement with Bible apps and online religious content, and anecdotal evidence of faith becoming more visible in areas such as sport, music and public conversation.
It further cites rises in adult baptisms, confirmations and Alpha participation, along with growth reported by some evangelical, Pentecostal, Baptist, Orthodox and migrant churches.
At the same time, Bible Society stops short of reasserting the original headline claims about church attendance.
Instead, it says the evidence now supports a more careful conclusion: that Britain is continuing to lose its old default Christian identity, but that more intentional and committed forms of Christian faith may be gaining ground in a changing culture.
For now, Bible Society says further research will follow later this year using YouGov as well as other providers and methods.
