Renewed Examination of Church Attendance Trends Amid Criticism
As debates intensify over the state of Christianity in the UK, YouGov is planning to revisit its church attendance research later this year. This follows a wave of skepticism surrounding previous claims of a “quiet revival” in Britain.
In a report titled The Quiet Revival, published by the Bible Society in April 2025, findings from two YouGov surveys suggested an increase in the number of adults in England and Wales identifying as Christian and attending church at least once a month — from 8% in 2018 to 12% in 2024.
The report highlighted a significant rise among 18–24-year-olds, with monthly attendance figures for young men jumping from 4% to 16%, and from 4% to 12% for young women. Additionally, a third of non-churchgoing young adults expressed willingness to attend if invited by a friend, and a quarter showed interest in learning more about the Bible.
Dr. Rhiannon McAleer of the Bible Society described the findings as “striking,” suggesting they challenged the narrative of a declining Church in England and Wales. These claims were later echoed in Parliament, where MP Danny Kruger used the report as evidence of Christianity’s enduring presence.
However, the report has faced criticism from sociologists and polling experts, who argue that it contradicts long-term data trends. David Voas, an emeritus professor at University College London, has been vocal in his skepticism. He remarked that the purported growth would imply “literally millions of new churchgoers” who remain unnoticed, as reported by the BBC.
In The Telegraph, Voas wrote, “the statistical evidence is clear: churchgoing is going down, not up.” Critics often refer to the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey by NatCen, which uses random probability sampling and is considered a benchmark study. Recent BSA data show a decline from 12% in 2018 to 9% in 2024 for adults identifying as Christian and attending church monthly.
Professor Sir John Curtice of NatCen has advised caution regarding conclusions derived from isolated survey points, citing consistent trends in their findings. He expressed to the BBC, “Are you sure? Because if it doesn’t look like a duck, it may not be a duck.”
The discussion has garnered international attention. The Pew Research Center recently published an analysis questioning the data supporting claims of a Christian revival in the UK. Pew noted that opt-in online surveys can yield different outcomes compared to large-scale randomly sampled studies.
Pew’s analysis highlighted a decrease in Christian identification from 54% in 2018 to 44% in summer 2025, with less than 28% of 18 to 34-year-olds identifying as Christian, down from 37% in 2018. Dr. Conrad Hackett from Pew warned that repeated revival claims might create “a very misleading narrative.”
Humanists UK have called for the retraction of the The Quiet Revival report, whereas the Bible Society remains steadfast in support of its findings. A spokesperson emphasized the report’s reliance on a high-quality YouGov survey, arguing against the inherent unreliability of opt-in surveys.
Dr. Rhiannon McAleer defended the integrity of the survey responses against claims of fabrication, while YouGov assured its preventive measures against survey manipulation. Proponents of the revival narrative cited rising Bible sales in 2025 and increased spiritual engagement among younger readers, with SPCK Group reporting record sales figures.
Nicky Gumbel of Alpha and Rachel Jordan-Wolf of Hope Together have also noted unusual levels of church attendance and spiritual curiosity, respectively. The Bible Society contends that Pew’s own global data aligns with YouGov’s figures on religiosity.
With YouGov’s forthcoming survey, the authenticity of the so-called “quiet revival” remains under scrutiny, drawing attention from both Christians and researchers.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
