Ethnicity and Religiosity

• The UK today is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society.

  Although the biggest religious group are those describing themselves as Christians (about 63% of the population), there are significant numbers of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, almost all belonging to minority ethnic groups originating in the Indian subcontinent, while many Christians are of Black African or Caribbean origin.
• Among Christians, Black people are more likely than White people to be found in the Pentecostal churches, where they make up 40% of the membership. However, while minority ethnic groups have higher participation rates, Modood (1994) found a decline in the importance of religion for all ethnic groups and that fewer were observant, especially among the second generation.
• There are clear ethnic patterns in religious participation, with higher than average rates for most minority ethnic groups, as Table 1D shows. For example, in London, Brierley (2013) found that Black people are twice as likely to attend church as White people. Muslims, Hindus and Black Christians are also considerably more likely than White Christians to see their religion as important and to attend a place of worship every week.