The rise of ‘no religion’ in Britain: The emergence of a new cultural majority

Abstract

This paper reviews new and existing evidence which shows that ‘no religion’ has risen steadily to rival ‘Christian’ as the preferred self-designation of British people. Drawing on recent survey research by the author, it probes the category of ‘no religion’ and offers a characterisation of the ‘nones’ which reveals, amongst other things, that most are not straightforwardly secular. It compares the British situation with that of comparable countries, asking why Britain has become one of the few no-religion countries in the world today. An explanation is offered that highlights the importance not only of cultural pluralisation and ethical liberalisation in Britain, but of the churches’ opposite direction of travel. The paper ends by reflecting on the extent to which ‘no religion’ has become the new cultural norm, showing why Britain is most accurately described as between Christian and ‘no religion’.

The Rise of “No Religion”: Towards an Explanation

“…I have documented the rise of "no religion" in more detail elsewhere (Woodhead 2016a), but will begin this paper with a summary account, not least because I have refined my understanding in a number of respects. After profiling the "nones" (those who tick the "no religion" box on censuses and surveys) I will make my first serious attempt to explain this profound cultural transition.…”

Между Теологией И заботой: Обзор Исследований Больничного Служения

“…Полезной точкой отсчёта в объяснении этого феномена в Британии исследовательница считает предложенное Питером Бергером понятие двойного плюрализма (Woodhead 2016(Woodhead a, 2016. Под последним Бергер понимал характерное для современности сочетание религиозного разнообразия с разнообразием религиозного и секулярного (Berger 2014).…”

Researching vernacular Judaism: reflections on theory and method

“…Several significant boundaries, previously perceived as manifest markers of Jewish belonging, are currently being challenged and changed as static conceptions of identity, based on fixed dogmas, institutional belonging and family lineage, give way to more flexible apprehensions of Jewish identity (Aronson et al 2018). Research on religion and change in contemporary Western societies stresses that increasing mobility, urbanisation and secularisation form the basis of several 'new normals' in defining ethnic and religious identities (Woodhead 2016). Thus, many previous analytic models within the research on religion no longer hold and new, more complex, adaptive and polygonal ones are needed, which are sensitive to the dynamics of multi-ethnic and multi-religious societies.…”