Fewer under-40s in Barking and Dagenham identify as non-religious – despite national increase

By Sonja Tutty, Data Reporter
Published 1st Feb 2023, 11:42 BST
A woman completing their Census form on line ahead of Census Day on Sunday. Picture date: Saturday March 20, 2021.A woman completing their Census form on line ahead of Census Day on Sunday. Picture date: Saturday March 20, 2021.
A woman completing their Census form on line ahead of Census Day on Sunday. Picture date: Saturday March 20, 2021.
There has been a fall in under-40s in Barking and Dagenham identifying as non-religious, new census figures show – despite a significant climb across England and Wales.

There has been a fall in under-40s in Barking and Dagenham identifying as non-religious, new census figures show – despite a significant climb across England and Wales.

Humanists UK, which campaigned for people to tick "no religion" on the survey in March 2021, said the recent figures – which showed a rise in people under the age of 40 stating they are non-religious – make it clear that the nation faces a "non-religious future".

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The Office for National Statistics data shows 26,400 people aged under 40 in Barking and Dagenham selected "no religion" (20%) – down from 22% in the previous census in 2011.

In 2021, about 52,800 under 40 year olds (39%) opted for Christianity. It was down from 48% who identified as Christian a decade ago.

Barking and Dagenham is in contrast to the trend seen across England and Wales, where "no religion" was the most selected option for under-40s. It's the first time Christianity did not hold the top spot for an age group.

About 13.6 million said they were not religious in 2021 while 9.8 million identified as Christian – a reversal from a decade ago when 13.9 million opted for Christianity and 9.4 million were non-religious.

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Andrew Copson, Humanists UK chief executive, said the recent figures show a significant change in society: “They make plain that the UK faces a non-religious future. This is in stark contrast to how our state institutions operate today.

"No other European country has such a religious set-up as we do in terms of law and public policy, while at the same time having such a non-religious population.

“Politicians should look at today’s results and recognise they must renegotiate the place of religion or belief in today’s society.”

The ONS said: “Many factors can cause changes in the size of religious groups, including changing age structure, people relocating for work or education, and differences in the way individuals chose to self-identify (or how children’s religious affiliation was reported) between censuses.”

The new census figures also show women in Barking and Dagenham were more likely to be religious. About 77% of women in the area chose a religion while 75% of men did.