The Moral and Religious Profile of Britain Today
Professor Linda WoodheadLancaster University
AHRC/ESRC Westminster Faith Debateswww.faithdebates.org
1.Moral profile-moral majority-moral minority
2.Religious profile-majority -minorities
Based on data from:
1.£12m AHRC/ESRC Religion & Society Research Programme2.Three surveys on religion and values designed by me and administered by YouGov, 2013. Each one nationally representative (9,000 people in total)3.Own research
Moral profile of Britain
Values consensus
• On personal morality (from abortion to same-sex marriage to euthanasia) the overwhelming majority of British people are liberal
• On socio-political issues matters more are ‘centre-right’ than ‘centre-left’
7% GB 9% GB
38% GB 45% GB
Social (leftwing)
Paternalist
Liberal
Individualist(rightwing)
A values profile of GB
Vertical axis = personal morality
Horizontal = socio-political views
Religious values
• The values of most Christians are close to the general consensus
7% GB5% CofE
9% GB10% CofE
38% GB30% CofE
45% GB56% CofE
Social
Paternalist
Liberal
Individualist
Values profile of Anglicans compared with population
NB the leadership is in a different place
Church leaders are out of step with the moral convictions of the British people
Positioned in top left and right quartiles
E.g. less than 30% of Christians under 45 think that same sex marriage is wrong. A clear majority under 45 think it is positively right.
The moral minority
A liberal, democratic/egalitarian ‘moral majority’ of >90% of the GB population
A strict moral minority of 8.5%(on abortion, SSM, euthanasia)
The post-paternalistic moral revolution
• The boundaries of liberalism extended• Egalitarianism extended to include women,
children, the disabled, LBGT people
• “post-paternalism”• Read by churches as religio-moral dissolution
• The moral minority remain on the paternalist side of the divide
• Splits churches between approved moral minorities and disaffected moral majorities
Religious Profile of Britain
1.Ethnic/cultural majority
2.Ethnic/cultural and religious minorities
Census 2011 (England &Wales)
Source: ONS
Religious by ageSource: Woodhead, YouGov for Westminster faith Debates 2013
The failure of religious institutions in GB to connect with religious people under 40
The coming apart of Christian institutions and the spiritual and moral life of the nation
Spiritual creativity, institutional failure
Results in displaced persons – no neat institutional home
Complex identities
“Catholics”
• 76% believe in God• 54% don’t go to church• 52% don’t identify as either religious or spiritual• 33% no spiritual practice in private• 19% “not influenced by any religion at all”• 4% take ANY guidance from religious leaders
(11% from my religion, 8% God)
“Nones” on the run
• 25% practise a spiritual activity in private• 17% believe in God (22% agnostic, 41%
atheist)• 11% describe themselves as “spiritual”• 1% belong to a religious group• 0% take ANY guidance from religious leaders
(30% from science)
Source: Woodhead, YouGov for Westminster faith Debates 2013
Religious or spiritual or…
Which, if any, of the following best describes you?
A spiritual person 11A religious person 10
Both spiritual and religious 10I would not describe myself, or
my values and beliefs, as spiritual or religious
51
None of these 13Don't know 5
Source: Woodhead, YouGov for Westminster faith Debates 2013
Which do you rely on most?(CHURCHGOERS)
CofE RC
Own reason and judgement 31 20Own intuition or feelings 14 14Family 11 17Trusted friends 3 3God or 'higher power' 15 13The tradition and teachings of my religion
10 17
Science 1 1A scripture or holy book, e.g. Bible, Qur'an
7 5
The religious or spiritual group to which I belong
3 5
Religious leaders, local or national
1 0
Authority – self not religious leaders or sources
2.Ethnic/cultural minorities
Census 2011 (England &Wales)
Source: ONS
Minorities are likely to have much clearer ‘mono-identities’ – Sikh, Muslim, born-again Christian, atheist etc.
Conditions favouring mono-identities
1.Cultural defence (and attack) in relation to majority2.Mobilisation against injustice3.Strategic opportunities4.Counter-cultural advantages
View minority identities in GB in relation to a spectrum of security
Jewish identity: secure
From trying to achieve security in insecure conditions to greater security – room for more complex and fractured identities to expand.
Muslim identity: insecure
• Race, class, colonial factors make Muslims the most insecure large group in Britain
• Injustices exacerbate
• Heighted religious identity – from culture to religion – is a reaction
• vicious cycle of insecurity and mono-identity
Christian minority identity
• Over-60s Christiansplus• A defensive Christian moral minority
• Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph moaning and mourning
The defensive Christian minority
•Aim to purify and defend ‘fundamentals’ of faith•Conservative family defence•Anti women’s equality, anti gay
Ironically, reinforces drift from the churches
Atheist minority
Do you believe in a god or some 'higher power'?
Yes, there is definitely a God or some 'higher power' 26
Yes, there is probably a God or some 'higher power' 23
No, there is probably NOT a God or some 'higher power' 16
No, there is definitely NOT a God some 'higher power' 19
Don't know 17
Definitely no God
18-14 21%25-39 22%40-59 23%60+ 14%
Threatened identities
• The two most threatened groups in GB at the moment are paternalist Xns and Muslims. The first because privilege draining away, the second because the most genuinely disprivileged group
• Their loud voices colour views of religion as paternalist, mono-identity, intolerant
• Reinforce “new” atheism
Insecurities
•Higher profile of religion•Decline of scientific prestige•Masculinity? 5:3 male:female
Govt policies reinforce mono-identities
•“community” multiculturalism•RE•favouring traditional religious representatives•juridification of religious identity, first under HR law, since 2006 under equality law
The God-fearing moral minority
A liberal, democratic/egalitarian ‘moral majority’ of 80-90% of the GB population
A strict moral minority of 8.5%(on abortion, SSM, euthanasia)
A God-fearing moral minority of 3.6%
Conclusion
• Settled majority with clear moral consensus• Non-Christian minorities, secure and insecure• Atheist minority
Religious institutions catering better for defensive minorities than secure majorities
Spiritual creativity, institutional religious failure An increasingly unchurched country