Strong desire for demonstrations of faith and community initiatives

Nearly half of British adults would like to see more demonstrations of faith in their local communities, research has revealed.

Specialist insurer Congregational & General carried out a survey amongst 1,000 UK adults, which revealed 44 per cent would like to see faith be more prominent in public.

The research also revealed that 78 per cent of the UK felt that community projects and faith were demonstrated in their area.

The insurer’s national amateur photography competition – Faith through a lens – aims to showcase this type of community initiative and demonstrations of faith, with award-winning photographer Don McCullin chairing the judging panel.

Whilst nearly a quarter (22 per cent) of respondents felt that community spirit was in decline, half (46 per cent) of those questioned felt that faith was ‘very important’, a figure that rose considerably amongst older respondents. Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of the over 65s stated that their faith was very important to them.

Far from confirming the negative perceptions of faith and community spirit being in terminal decline in the UK, the research revealed a strong appetite for community initiatives and demonstrations of faith across all age brackets and geographical regions.

Congregational & General is encouraging amateur photographers to showcase these initiatives through the competition, with ten shortlisted finalists going forward to an exclusive event during Interfaith Week, at the National Media Museum, on 24 November, where the winner, runner-up and highly commended entries will be announced by Don McCullin and fellow judges.

Margaret Slater, Marketing Manager, said: “Our research findings clearly show that there is a strong appetite for both demonstrations of faith and community initiatives across the UK, which is very encouraging.”