Percentage of over-65s with ‘no religion’ doubles in last decade

The proportion of English and Welsh people over 65 who have “no religion” has doubled over the last decade, a new analysis of census data has revealed.

A report by the Office for National Statistics showed that in 2021 a total of 17.5 per cent of people in that age group said they have no faith compared to 8.5 per cent who made the same claim in 2011.

The vast majority – 72.2 per cent – of people aged 65 years or over in England and Wales in 2021 still identified as Christian, however.

The likelihood of being Christian increased across older age groups, from 68.4 per cent of people aged 64 to 74 years to 76.1 per cent of people aged 75 to 84 years and 78.4 per cent of people aged 85 years and over.

Although the vast majority of over 65s remain predominantly Christian, the 107 per cent increase showed that people of retirement age were also losing their faith faster than any other group examined by the ONS.

Overall, between 2011 and 2021 the proportion of all adults who said they had no religion increased from 27.8 per cent to 41 per cent.

The analysis of 2021 census data also showed that men and women aged 65 years and over living in England and Wales in 2021 were more likely to be divorced and less likely to be widowed than in 2011.

The 10-yearly census was first published late last year and revealed that in 2021 a total of 46.2 per cent (27.5 million) of the population of England and Wales described themselves as Christian compared to 59.3 per cent (33.3 million) in 2011.

It meant that the numbers of Christians in England and Wales had dipped below 50 per cent for the first time since records began.

A description of “no religion” was the second most common response, and was offered by 37.2 per cent of the population (22.2 million people).

Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury said at the time that the data showed that Britain is breaking free from its Christian moorings and he warned Catholics that “much is stake” both for the Church and wider society.

Bishop Davies said: “A census indicating little more than 46 per cent of the population now declare themselves Christians while more than 37 per cent say they are without any religion presents a challenge not only to Christians in the task of ‘new evangelisation’ but a profound challenge to British society that is founded and built on Christian values. 

“We are witnessing a drift from our Christian moorings more it would seem by default than conviction. 

“People cannot live long in a vacuum and if Christianity is not rediscovered as our guiding light then society will increasingly become vulnerable to passing and often dangerous ideologies. 

“So much is at stake both for the Church in making Christ known and for society in not losing both its foundation and its bearings.”

His sentiments were echoed by Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth who called upon Catholics to work harder to evangelise the contemporary culture.

He said: “As Catholics we always have a mission ad intra and ad extra: that is evangelising ourselves and deepening our relationship with God, as well as reaching out to those around us to offer them the Gospel.

“Thirty-seven per cent in society say they are ‘nones’,” he said. “This should spur us to reach out to them, to serve and accompany them, to help them pray and to help them encounter Jesus Christ. A figure like this is not just a challenge – it’s a great opportunity.”

The decline in the numbers of people who say they are Christians represented a 13.1 percentage point decrease in the last decade.

People of “no religion” increased by 14.1 million, rising from 25.2 per cent, over the same period, according to the data compiled by the Office for National Statistics.

The census also showed that, while numbers of Christians fell, members of all other major religions increased alongside atheists and agnostics in the same period. 

Yet although they are now in a minority, Christians still remain the largest single group of any category.

The Muslim population rose in 10 years from 4.9 per cent to 6.5 per cent (2.7 to 3.9 million), Hindus increased by nearly 200,000, there was an increase in the Sikh population of 100,000 people and the numbers of Jewish people went up by 25,000.

A total of 0.7 per cent of people declared membership of a religion that was unlisted in the survey, with 74,000 saying they were pagans, 13,000 Wicca, 26,000 claiming to be Alevi and 25,000 Jain.

The religion question was voluntary but was answered by 94 per cent of the overall population of England and Wales, up from 92.9 per cent in 2011.

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