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Britain is not a religious country - BHA comments on Guardian / ICM poll

I covered this poll here.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed the results of an ICM poll published today by the Guardian which demonstrates that Britain is not a religious country.

Andrew Copson, responsible for education and public affairs at the BHA, said:

‘This is the evidence for what most people are increasingly accepting as common sense. Britain is far from being a Christian country and the churches, in spite of their continuing privileges and increasingly shrill insistences to the contrary, have lost the right to speak for Britain . Nor is it possible to claim that Britain can be defined instead as “multi-faith”, when such clear majorities disown religion. The fact that the Government does not accept this fact, but continue to define the communities of Britain in faith terms, continue to promote faith schools, and to pay unjustified attention to unrepresentative religious “leaders” must be a source of increasing frustration for many.

‘Time and again religious groups get their way against overwhelmingly public opinion. They killed off the Assisted Dying Bill, which 4 out of 5 people supported; they have won wide exemptions from equality legislation so they can continue to discriminate against gay people and those who do not share their beliefs; and they will be doing their utmost to defend their 26 unelected members of Parliament when the Government tackles Lords reform this session. Instead of promoting a false image of modern Britain, Government should instead accept the real nature of contemporary society and we should move towards a secular state in this country – a state neutral on matters of religion and belief where there are no special privileges for any belief system, and public debate can be genuinely shared by citizens of whatever religion or belief.’

Quotes from BHA & MORI - On level of Humanist convictions amongst the British Public.

Quotes from BHA chief executive Hanne Stinson, BHA education and public affairs officer Andrew Copson and BHA Vice Presidents Claire Rayner, Baroness Whitaker and Richard Norman on Ipsos MORI polls (released 24/11/06) on the level of humanist convictions amongst the British public and on how many of the British public believe religious groups and leaders are paid too much attention by Government

(Numbers in brackets refer to endnotes)

Hanne Stinson , chief executive of the British Humanist Association said, �Britain is basically a Humanist country, and this poll shows it. We have always been aware that many people who do not identify themselves as humanists, and this includes quite a few people who do not know what Humanism is, live their lives by what one might describe as humanist principles. People who join the Association often tell us that they have been humanists all their lives, or for the last 20 years or so, but didn�t know it. But it is very encouraging to find that 36% of the British population are not simply non-religious, but actually humanist in their outlook and their morality, and that very many others don�t feel they need religion to understand the universe, or to guide their moral decisions. These people may not belong to the Humanist Association, may not have even heard of Humanism, but they share our attitudes and we speak for them in our campaigns.

�Bishops and Archbishops every day make more extravagant claims about Britain�s alleged Christian values, but here at last is the evidence to show they are wrong. The churches, despite their establishment and institutional privileges, have lost the right to speak for Britain. The Government still makes one concession after another to religion on the basis of that 70% census figure, but if the public resents Government kow-towing to religious leaders almost as much as they resent its subservience to foreign leaders, then ministers really need to think again. They should move towards a secular state in Britain, with the Government neutral on matters of religion and belief, no privileges for any belief system, and public debate conducted in shared language, not dominated by religious pronouncements based on theology.�

Ms Stinson added that her only surprise was that only 42% felt religion got too much attention from Government, and wondered how much higher this figure would have been if respondents had been able to select more than three options from the seven listed. �The other explanation might be a lingering deference to religion that has outlasted mass religious belief. Time and again religious groups get their way against overwhelmingly public opinion. They killed off the Assisted Dying Bill, which 4 out of 5 people supported (1); they have won wide exemptions from equality legislation so they can continue to discriminate against gay people and those who do not share their beliefs; and they will be doing their utmost to defend their 26 unelected members of Parliament when the Government tackles Lords reform this session!�

Andrew Copson, Education Officer at the BHA, said that the result was particularly interesting coming so soon after Government caved in to religious pressure over faith schools: �The government keeps making the mistake of seeing pressure from religious groups as widespread public opinion. Even though poll after poll has demonstrated wide public opposition to faith schools (2), religious groups have fought off all attempts to reduce the harm done by them, and instead have won more privileges and pay scarcely a penny of the costs of �their� schools.�

Claire Rayner, writer, broadcaster and BHA Vice President (and former President) said, �It is such an encouragement that so many of the British public accept the positive values of humanism. I fall over people with just the same views all the time, though they may not call themselves humanists. The local soup run that goes out to the homeless is run by the local churches and synagogues, but when I got involved with them I discovered that at least half of them are �non-believers�. But there is nowhere else they can go if they want to help.

�I was a humanist without knowing it for many years before I found the Association � when I did, it was like finding a sort of home. Here were people with a range of views that matched mine, who shared my respect for life in all its forms and who, above all, did not in any way try to bully other people to follow their beliefs.�

Richard Norman , Emeritus Professor of Moral Philosopher at the University of Kent, author of On Humanism(Routledge), and a Vice President of the BHA said, �What is encouraging about this poll is not just the fact that so many people can thrive without religious belief, but that they are capable of taking a rational and sensitive attitude to moral questions. They recognise that you can do justice to the complexity of moral problems without succumbing to the crude relativism of "it's all a matter of personal preference".�

Baroness Whitaker, a Labour peer and a Vice President of the British Humanist Association said, �Ever since I was at (a Christian) school, I preferred humanism and I joined the BHA not long after I returned from graduate studies in the USA in 1961. As a child I found the religious presentation of sin and virtue uncongenial and as an adult I found the humanist perspective on morality, with its emphasis on reason, persuasive and attractive. It�s heartening to see that, today, so many people feel the same.

�I don�t think that religious beliefs are needed to understand the universe, or to be moral (as even tiny children feel remorse and compunction) � the knowledge that life is finite obliges us to make choices, and our rational nature makes us justify these choices and relate them to each other in a coherent way. This is what creates systems of ethics and values.

�My own humanist values motivate me as a working peer, where I put the case publicly that non-religious worldviews such as humanist ones should be accorded the same status � no more and no less � as religious ones.�

ENDNOTES

(1) 82% of the British public �think that a person who is suffering unbearably from a terminal illness should be allowed by law to receive medical help to die, if that is what they want�� (NOP poll, 2004)

(2) eg 64% opposed the idea of government funding for faith schools, ICM poll 2005; 80% believed all schools should be open to those of any religion or belief, MORI poll 2001; 80% opposed the expansion of faith schools, YouGov poll 2001

Analysis of MORI polls - level of humanist convictions

Analysis of Ipsos MORI polls (released 24/11/06) on the level of humanist convictions amongst the British public and on how many of the British public believe religious groups and leaders are paid too much attention by Government.

Full analysis of the responses is available here (pdf)

Click here for commentary on the polls from BHA staff and Vice Presidents.

Those who choose only Humanist statements � �humanists� by this survey�s definition - are more prevalent among:

- younger and middle-aged people (aged 15-54) (41%) compared to those aged 55 and over (26%)

- those in social classes ABC1 (43%) compared to those in C2DE (28%)

- those with children in their household (43%) compared to those without (33%)

- those that live in the South (41%) compared to those that live in the Midlands (30%), with those in the North in between (37%)

- those working full- or part-time (42%) compared to those not working (29%)

- those who read �broadsheets� (51%) compared to those that read tabloids (33%)

- those with qualifications of GCSE equivalent and above (42%) compared to those with no formal qualifications (20%).

The questions and answers in the poll were as follows:

Respondents were asked: �If you had to choose just one of the statements which one best matches your view?� (The * indicates the humanist option in each case: respondents were not shown the *)

Scientific and other evidence provides the best way to understand the universe.* (62%)
Religious beliefs are needed for a complete understanding of the universe. (22%)
Neither of these (10%)
Don�t know (6%)

Human nature by itself gives us an understanding of what is right and wrong* (62%)
People need religious teachings in order to understand what is right and wrong (27%)
Neither of these (7%)
Don�t know (4%)

What is right and wrong depends on the effects on people and the consequences for society and the world* (65%)
What is right and wrong is basically just a matter of personal preference (15%)

What is right and wrong is unchanging and should never be challenged (13%)
None of these (2%)
Don�t know (5%)

Respondents were asked: �People often comment on the level of attention the Government pays to certain groups in society. Which, if any, of the following groups of people do you think the Government pays too much attention to?� and presented with a list of seven possibilities from which they could select up to three responses. Responses were:

%

Leaders of other countries 44

Religious groups and leaders 42

Newspaper headlines 35

Big Business 34

The Royal Family 20

Trade Unions 17

Ordinary people 3

None of these 9

Respondents were asked: �If you had to choose just one of the statements which one best matches your view?�

This life is the only life we have and death is the end of our personal existence (41%)
When we die we go on and still exist in another way (45%)
Neither of these (5%)
Don�t know (8%)

TECHNICAL NOTE ON DATA COLLECTION

Ipsos MORI interviewed a nationally-representative sample of 975 respondents aged 15+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted face-to-face, in respondents� homes, between 26 and 30 October 2006. 175 sampling points were covered. Results are weighted to the national GB 15+ population profile.

42%: Government pays too much attention to ‘religious groups and leaders’

17 Million humanists in Britain!
36% of the population!

42% of the population think the Government pays too much attention to religious groups and leaders!

If you count yourself amongst the rapidly growing number of humanists in Britain, or resent the growing influence of unrepresentative 'faith leaders' on Government policy, please join the British Humanist Association today!

We need your support to represent your views.

The figures above come from a new Mori poll.
Click here to see the results on humanist beliefs.
Click here for the results on the influence of religious groups and leaders.

42%: Government pays too much attention to ‘religious groups and leaders’ (24/11/06)

(Numbers in brackets below refer to endnotes)

More people think that the government pays too much attention to ‘religious groups and leaders’ than to any other domestic group according to an Ipsos MORI poll published today.

Asked to select from a list of groups that people might think the government pays too much attention to, more people (42%) chose ‘religious groups and leaders’ than chose any other domestic group. Religious groups and leaders came second only to ‘leaders of other countries’ in a list that also included ‘Newspaper headlines’, ‘Big business’, ‘the Royal family’, ‘Trade Unions’ and lastly ‘Ordinary people’ (see below for full results).

Hanne Stinson, Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association, which commissioned the poll, said that her only surprise was that only 42% felt religion got too much attention from Government, and wondered how much higher this figure would have been if respondents had been able to select more than three options from the seven listed. ‘The other explanation might be a lingering deference to religion that has outlasted mass religious belief. Time and again religious groups get their way against overwhelmingly public opinion. They killed off the Assisted Dying Bill, which 4 out of 5 people supported (1); they have won wide exemptions from equality legislation so they can continue to discriminate against gay people and those who do not share their beliefs; and they will be doing their utmost to defend their 26 unelected members of Parliament when the Government tackles Lords reform this session!’

Andrew Copson, Education Officer at the BHA, said that the result was particularly interesting coming so soon after Government caved in to religious pressure over faith schools: ‘The government keeps making the mistake of seeing pressure from religious groups as widespread public opinion. Even though poll after poll has demonstrated wide public opposition to faith schools (2), religious groups have fought off all attempts to reduce the harm done by them, and instead have won more privileges and pay scarcely a penny of the costs of “their” schools.’

For further commentary on this poll click here , together commentary on the Ipsos MORI poll on the level of humanist convictions amongst the British public .

TECHNICAL NOTE ON DATA COLLECTION

Respondents were asked: ‘People often comment on the level of attention the Government pays to certain groups in society. Which, if any, of the following groups of people do you think the Government pays too much attention to?’ and presented with a list of seven possibilities from which they could select up to three responses. Responses were:

%

Leaders of other countries 44

Religious groups and leaders 42

Newspaper headlines 35

Big Business 34

The Royal Family 20

Trade Unions 17

Ordinary people 3

None of these 9

Ipsos MORI interviewed a nationally-representative sample of 975 respondents aged 15+ across Great Britain. Interviews were conducted face-to-face, in respondents’ homes, between 26 and 30 October 2006. 175 sampling points were covered. Results are weighted to the national GB 15+ population profile.

Full analysis of the poll can be found here , together with analysis of the Ipsos MORI poll on the level of humanist convictions amongst the British public .


ENDNOTES

(1) 82% of the British public ‘think that a person who is suffering unbearably from a terminal illness should be allowed by law to receive medical help to die, if that is what they want…’ (NOP poll, 2004)

(2) eg 64% opposed the idea of government funding for faith schools, ICM poll 2005; 80% believed all schools should be open to those of any religion or belief, MORI poll 2001; 80% opposed the expansion of faith schools, YouGov poll 2001


NOTES TO EDITORS

The British Humanist Association(BHA) represents and supports the non-religious. It is the largest organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief, and for a secular state.

For further comment, contact:

Hanne Stinson (BHA) by email or on 07764 947249

Andrew Copson (BHA) by email or on 07855 380633

John Leaman (Ipsos MORI) by email or on 020 7347 3000

The following distinguished supporters of the British Humanist Association are also available for comment:

Susan Blackmore by email

A C Grayling by email

17,000,000 British Humanists ...

17 Million humanists in Britain!
36% of the population!

42% of the population think the Government pays too much attention to religious groups and leaders!

If you count yourself amongst the rapidly growing number of humanists in Britain, or resent the growing influence of unrepresentative 'faith leaders' on Government policy, please join the British Humanist Association today!

We need your support to represent your views.

The figures above come from a new Mori poll.
Click here to see the results on humanist beliefs.
Click here for the results on the influence of religious groups and leaders.

7 million British Humanists (24/11/06)

(Numbers in brackets below refer to endnotes)

In the 2001 census 7 out of 10 people ticked the ‘Christian’ box but, with church attendance now below 7% (1) and under 1 in 3 marriages taking place in church (2), this figure was clearly more about cultural identity than religious belief (3).

Today an Ipsos MORI poll has shown that 36% of people – equivalent to around 17 million adults – are in fact humanists in their basic outlook.

They:

- feel scientific & other evidence provides the best way to understand the universe (rather than feeling that religious beliefs are needed for a ‘complete understanding’)

- believe that ‘right and wrong’ can be explained by human nature alone, and does not necessarily require religious teachings, and

- base their judgments of right and wrong on ‘the effects on people and the consequences for society and the world’.


Humanism is a non-religious ethical outlook on life and these answers summarise its key beliefs (click here for more details on Humanism today)


These are the key figures from the poll (the detailed results and further analysis are given here , along with analysis of the Ipsos MORI poll on how many people believe religious groups and leaders have too much influence on Government ):

- Overall, faced with the choice, 62% said ‘scientific & other evidence provides the best way to understand the universe’ against 22% who felt ‘religious beliefs are needed for a complete understanding of the universe’.

- Similarly, 62% chose ‘Human nature by itself gives us an understanding of what is right and wrong’, against 27% who said ‘People need religious teachings in order to understand what is right and wrong’.

- In the last question, faced with three choices, 65% said that what is right and wrong ‘depends on the effects on people and the consequences for society and the world’. The rest split almost equally between two profoundly un-Humanist views: 15% said right and wrong were ‘basically just a matter of personal preference’ and 13% said what was right and wrong was ‘unchanging and should never be challenged’.

Thirty-six percent chose all three of the Humanist answers, and another 30% chose two out of three. Only 13% chose none of them.


41% believe this is our only life

Another question found that 41% endorsed the strong statement: ‘This life is the only life we have and death is the end of our personal existence’. Fractionally more - 45% - preferred the broad view that ‘when we die we go on and still exist in another way’. Of those choosing all three of the ‘Humanist’ answers, 54% said this was our only life, against 38% who believed in some sort of continued existence. And of those seeing this as our only life, 79% chose two or all three of the ‘Humanist’ answers to the other questions. (Interestingly, 22% of those who endorsed the need for religion in answers to other questions also said this was our only life.)


Commentary (for more click here )

Hanne Stinson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association said, ‘Britain is basically a humanist country, and this poll shows it. We have always been aware that many people who do not identify themselves as humanists, and this includes quite a few people who do not know what Humanism is, live their lives by what one might describe as humanist principles. People who join the Association often tell us that they have been humanists all their lives, or for the last 20 years or so, but didn’t know it. But it is very encouraging to find that 36% of the British population are not simply non-religious, but actually humanist in their outlook and their morality, and that very many others don’t feel they need religion to understand the universe, or to guide their moral decisions. These people may not belong to the Humanist Association, may not have even heard of Humanism, but they share our attitudes and we speak for them in our campaigns.’

For further commentary on the results of the poll from Ms Stinson and from BHA Vice Presidents Claire Rayner, Baroness Whitaker and Richard Norman, along with analysis of the Ipsos MORI poll on how many people believe religious groups and leaders have too much influence on Government , click here


ENDNOTES

(1) Religious Trends 5: 2005/06, table 2.21

(2) 68% of marriages in 2004 were civil ceremonies - National Statistics

(3) For example it was asked in a context of ethnicity and the question was ‘What is your religion?’, rather than ‘Do you have a religion and if so what is it?’


NOTES TO EDITORS

The British Humanist Association(BHA) represents and supports the non-religious. It is the largest organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief, and for a secular state.

For further comment, contact:

Hanne Stinson by email or on 07764 947249

Andrew Copson by email or on 07855 380633

John Leaman (Ipsos MORI) by email or on 020 7347 3000

The following supporters of the British Humanist Association are also available for comment:

Susan Blackmore by email

A C Grayling by email

British Humanist Association

I visited the BHA website and extracted this stuff from it:-

The British Humanist Association

Atheist? Agnostic? Not religious?
Culturally Christian (you tick the box but don't believe)?

Then You're Probably a Humanist Already
Try Our Test &
Join the British Humanist Association Today!

The BHA is the largest organisation in the UK supporting and representing the non-religious and campaigning for a secular society.

The Test: Are you a Humanist?
I scored mostly Ds with a few Cs. I am a humanist!

Humanism

Humanism is the belief that we can live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs. Humanists make sense of the world using reason, experience and shared human values. We seek to make the best of the one life we have by creating meaning and purpose for ourselves. We take responsibility for our actions and work with others for the common good.

What humanists believe

Humanism is an approach to life based on humanity and reason - humanists recognise that moral values are properly founded on human nature and experience alone. Our decisions are based on the available evidence and our assessment of the outcomes of our actions, not on any dogma or sacred text.

Humanism encompasses atheism and agnosticism ‑ but is an active and ethical philosophy far greater than these negative responses to religion.

Humanists believe in individual rights and freedoms ‑ but believe that individual responsibility, social cooperation and mutual respect are just as important.

Humanists believe that people can and will continue to find solutions to the world's problems ‑ so that quality of life can be improved for everyone.

Humanists are positive ‑ gaining inspiration from our lives, art and culture, and a rich natural world.

Humanists believe that we have only one life ‑ it is our responsibility to make it a good life, and to live it to the full.


Humanists - who are they?

At least 15.5% of the population is non-religious according to the 2001 census, making this the second largest "belief" group in the UK. Other surveys on religious belief in Britain have found 30 - 40% (and 65% of young people) declaring themselves atheists or agnostics. A Home Office survey (2004) found almost 22% of no faith, and that religion played little part in the lives of most of those calling themselves Christians. Many people, even if they do not call themselves humanists, live their lives by the principles outlined above, and many thousands use the services of the British Humanist Association every year; organised Humanism is the tip of a very large iceberg.

More statistics on religion and belief here .

BHA Vice-President Claire Rayner says: "I was a humanist without knowing it for many years before I found the Association - when I did, it was like finding a sort of home. Here were people with a range of views that matched my own, who shared my respect for life in all its forms, and who, above all, did not try to bully other people to follow their beliefs".

To find out more about the work of the BHA click here , and see also Why join?


Want to know more about Humanism?

Humanism, a brief introduction for students of all ages

Humanist Philosophers ' Group What is Humanism? (BHA, 2002, buy it here ) - a pamphlet from the Humanist Philosophers' Group makes the case for Humanism. Read an extract .

So you think you can live without God? - members of the Humanist Philosophers' Group answer some common questions and challenges.

Click here for a list of distinguished supporters of Humanism.

"Who needs God?" - an Independent on Sunday feature about Humanism and the BHA.

Non-religious beliefs - some definitions and distictions. What's the difference between an atheist, an agnostic and a humanist, for example?

What do humanists mean by "spirituality" ?

Humanists talking - individual humanists talk about their lives and beliefs.

Humanist "Thoughts for the Day " - short talks showing what humanists can do when asked for a "thought".

Barbara Smoker Humanism (BHA, buy it here ) - a useful and accessible introduction to humanist ideas and history.

Richard Norman On Humanism (Routledge, 2004) - an accessible and powerful defence of humanist ideas and ethics, written by a humanist philosopher. Buy it here .

Jim Herrick Humanism - an Introduction - Humanism for the general reader. Buy it here .

Hobson & Jenkins Modern Humanism - answers to some of the basic questions of life from a humanist perspective. Buy it here

A Short Course on Humanism (BHA, buy it here ), suitable for adults who think they may be humanists and groups that would like to study and discuss Humanism.

Are you a humanist? This quiz will help you decide!

Thinking About Death - read the introduction to the Humanist Philosophers' Group book of essays based on their 2002 conference, and buy the book by phoning 020 7079 3580.

Thinking about Ethics - an account of where humanists think moral values come from, and the implications.

Discussions of philosophical, ethical and social issues outline how humanists approach a range of issues and provide discussion questions and further reading for students of all ages. (Please note that these are not definitive statements about what all humanist think or BHA policy.)

Richard Robinson An Atheist's Values - long out of print, this excellent defence of humanist morality and critique of "Christian values" can be read at http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/athval0.htm

Humanist ideas have a long history - read about it here . You can also read extracts from humanist writers past and present in A Humanist Anthology (edited by Jim Herrick and Margaret Knight, RPA, buy it here ), and E M Forster's What I believe (BHA, buy it here ).

Are your ideas on God, religion and morality philosophically consistent? Try Battlefield God and other philosophical games at The Philosophers' Magazine website .

The UK based Humanists website carries information about the humanist ethical tradition, news, answers to common questions, and jokes.

About the BHA

Our Vision
A world without religious privilege or discrimination, where people are free to live good lives on the basis of reason, experience and shared human values.

Our Mission
The British Humanist Association exists to promote Humanism and support and represent people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) represents the interests of the large and growing population of ethically concerned but non-religious people in the UK – helping to set the agenda for debate. Committed to human rights, democracy, equality and mutual respect, the BHA works for an open and inclusive society with freedom of belief and speech, and for an end to the privileged position of religion – and Christianity in particular – in law, education, broadcasting and wherever else it occurs.

The BHA is renowned for its humanist funerals, weddings, baby-namings and other non-religious ceremonies. These meet a very real need in the community, and the rapidly growing demand for high quality ceremonies keeps our network of trained and accredited officiants extremely busy. Find out more here.

We also help humanists and other non-religious people to gain confidence in their beliefs (see Humanism) and build a foundation from which to live their lives with integrity. The BHA supports networks for families, teachers and others to share ideas and experience and provide mutual support. Local humanist groups provide opportunities for humanists to meet like-minded people for lectures, discussions and social activities. We lobby for the inclusion of Humanism in the school curriculum so that all pupils have the opportunity to learn about it, and provide educational resources for schools and students of all ages. Our contribution to improvements in religious education is widely recognised.

BHA policies are based on humanist principles and informed by our members and supporters, who include eminent authorities in many fields. With the support of its Humanist Philosophers’’ Group, scientists and other experts, the BHA contributes to debate on a wide range of ethical issues from sex education to gene therapy, and acts as a unique watchdog and lobbying organisation. Click here to see some of our submissions and briefings on human rights, social and ethical issues.

With a mixture of: high profile campaigns; submissions to Government, e.g. in proposed legislation; evidence to official enquiries, e.g. on the ethics of genetic research; liaison with humanists in Parliament; briefing and lobbying, the BHA campaigns for:

· freedom of belief and respect for the non-religious, including recognition of humanist views on a wide range of issue;

· an end to discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, whether in marriage law, the workplace, or the provision of public services;

· an end to religious privilege;

· inclusive schools where children with parents of all faiths and none learn to understand and respect each other, instead of being segregated in the growing number of faith and sectarian schools;

· impartial, fair and balanced education about religion and beliefs, with an emphasis on shared human values;

· school assemblies without religious worship.

For an "independent" view of the BHA and our activities, see "Who needs God? " - an Independent on Sunday article which includes interviews with our Executive Director, Hanne Stinson. ceremonies officiant Caroline Black, and philosopher A C Grayling.