Beliefs, attitudes, and opinions
Religious belief
Religious Belief in Britain (% of population)
1940/50s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Belief | ||||||
God | 79 | 74 | 72 | 65 | 62 | |
God as a personal god | 43 | 39 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 25 |
God as spirit or life force | 38 | 39 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 38 |
Jesus as Son of God | 68 | 62 | 49 | |||
Life after death | 49 | 49 | 37 | 43 | 46 | 46 |
Heaven | 52 | 55 | 53 | 41 | ||
Hell | 21 | 26 | 27 | 28 | ||
Devil | 24 | 28 | 20 | 24 | 27 | |
Disbelief | ||||||
God | 10 | 15 | 18 | 27 | 37 | |
Jesus as just a man/story | 18 | 22 | 38 | |||
Life after death | 21 | 23 | 42 | 40 | 41 | 42 |
Heaven | 33 | 35 | 37 | 45 | ||
Hell | 68 | 65 | 64 | 57 | ||
Devil | 54 | 52 | 70 | 64 | 67 |
Sources: Gill, R.; Hadaway, C.; Marler, PL, "Is religious belief declining in Britain?", Journal for the Social Scientific Study of Religion 37 (3), 1998: Tableau 1, revu dans Gill, R., The ‘Empty’ Church Revisited (Explorations in Practical, Pastoral and Empirical Theology), Ashgate, Aldershot, 2003: Table 2, the British Social Attitudes Survey 2008 and the European Social Survey 2008.
11 September 2012