Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK has more atheists than people who believe in God, new research claims

Experts say the UK is entering its first atheist age

Jonathan McCambridge
Wednesday 02 October 2024 01:17 EDT
Comments
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The UK now has more atheists than people who believe in God, new research has said, with experts saying ā€˜the UK is entering its first atheist ageā€™.

The news comes from the global project Explaining Atheism which explains why atheism has grown both in the UK and around the world.

The research team found that the common notion of the ā€œpurposeless unbelieverā€, lacking a sense of ultimate meaning in life, objective morality, and strong values is not accurate, challenging the stereotype that atheists lead lives devoid of meaning, morality, and purpose.

The research team surveyed nearly 25,000 people from across six countries (Brazil, China, Denmark, Japan, UK, and US) around the world to find out why people become atheists and agnostics.

They also brought together converging results from the British Social Attitudes Survey and World Values Survey to show the UK now has a relative majority of atheists.

The research project is led by principal investigator, Professor Jonathan Lanman from the school of history, anthropology, philosophy and politics at Queenā€™s, Dr Lois Lee from the University of Kent and Dr Aiyana Willard from Brunel University London; working in collaboration with colleagues Dr Connair Russell from Queenā€™s; Professor Stephen Bullivant from St Maryā€™s University, Twickenham and; Dr Miguel Farias from Coventry University; and a number of additional international researchers.

The project was funded by the John Templeton Foundation and ran over a three-year period.

Prof Lanman said: ā€œOur large cross-cultural surveys reveal that while many factors may influence oneā€™s beliefs in small ways, the key factor is the extent to which one is socialised to be a theist.

ā€œMany other popular theories, such as intelligence, emotional stoicism, broken homes, and rebelliousness, do not stand up to empirical scrutiny.ā€

Queenā€™s University Belfas: (left to right) Professor Jonathan Lanman from Queenā€™s University Belfast, Dr Lois Lee from the University of Kent, Dr Aiyana Willard from Brunel University London, and Dr Connair Russell from Queenā€™s University Belfast
Queenā€™s University Belfas: (left to right) Professor Jonathan Lanman from Queenā€™s University Belfast, Dr Lois Lee from the University of Kent, Dr Aiyana Willard from Brunel University London, and Dr Connair Russell from Queenā€™s University Belfast (Queen's University Belfast/PA Wire)

Dr Lee said: ā€œThe UK is entering its first atheist age.

ā€œWhilst atheism has been prominent in our culture for some time, be it through Karl Marx, George Eliot, or Ricky Gervais, it is only now that atheists have begun to outnumber theists for the first time in our history.ā€

The researchers also used the results from their previous project, Understanding Unbelief (2017-2021), to provide a more detailed picture of the beliefs and values of atheists and agnostics.

The research found that common explanations for why people believe in God or not, such as intelligence, fear of death, or need for structure, have little empirical support.

Well-known atheist Ricky Gervais
Well-known atheist Ricky Gervais (AFP via Getty Images)

It also said that the strongest influences on belief are parental upbringing and societal expectations regarding belief in God.

It found that while anti-religious parents do not substantially impact whether their children believe in God, they do strongly influence whether their children are morally opposed to religion.

It also reported that non-belief in God does not necessarily rule out belief in other supernatural phenomena, as most atheists and agnostics express some type of supernatural belief.

The research said that most atheists and agnostics endorse objective moral values, human dignity, and inherent rights, as well as a ā€œdeep valueā€ for nature, at similar rates as the general population.

Prof Lanman said: ā€œThis project helps counter negative stereotypes and stigma towards atheists and theists alike.

ā€œThe common claim among some religious commentators that people become atheists because of immorality and rebellion, or broken homes is not true.

ā€œSimilarly, the common claim among some atheist commentators that individuals become or remain theists because they are less intelligent or emotionally weaker than others is not true.ā€

Dr Willard said: ā€œSuch claims are used to stigmatise and harm individuals in our societies who happen to have different positions on the existence of God or gods.

ā€œOur research demonstrates that these claims are false.

ā€œWe hope that this understanding can be utilised by the public to combat harmful stereotypes.ā€

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in