8. Secularisation in the UK

• What types of religions has there been a decline in?

  Large religions
• Why is measuring significance of religion hard?

  -It has a deeply personal & multifaceted nature

  -Many are religious in name but not in nature
• How has the decline of the clergy impacted religion?

  Lack of clergy means the day-to-day influence of the church is reduced
• How has the influence of religion declined? (2)

  It used to control every aspect of life but now its limited to the privacy of the individual and the family

  Schools used to be run by the church
• Clergy

  Religious officials
• What percentage of the clergy are under 40? (Institutionalism)

  Only 12%
• How many bishops in the House of Lords? (Institutionalism)

  26
• What proportion of welsh schools failed to provide an act of 'daily worship' (institutionalism)

  Over half
• Which religion has increased? (affiliation)

  Roman Catholics can be correlated to the migrant influx in the uk alongside other religions
• What was the sharpest decline? (affiliation)

  Anglicans whose numbers halved
• How much has non-religious identity increased? (affiliation)

  From 1/3 in 1983 to 1/2 in 2014
• Bogus baptisms- Wilson (attendance)


  Non-religious parents will get their child baptised in order to get them into good christian schools
• How much have infant baptisms declined? (attendance)

  They've halved
• In the 1970s vs 2010s, what percentage of weddings were held in church? (attendance)


  60% vs 30%
• How much has church attendance decreased? (attendance)

  From 1.6 million in 1960s to 0.8 million in 2010s
• What are the 3 categories of religious identity?

  Affiliation, attendance & Institutionalism
• Wilson's definition of secularisation


  The process whereby religious beliefs, practices and institutions lose social significance
• What have been the main changes in religion in the UK?

  Decline in proportion of people going to church

  Increase in average age of churchgoers

  Fewer baptisms & church weddings

  More in other religions