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SavannahYear 8
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Religion & WorldviewsBelief in Britain today25 min★★ difficulty

What the evidence says about belief in Britain

Claims about whether Britain is religious are often made with no numbers at all. The census gives real figures, and reading them carefully is a skill in itself.

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Describe the place of religion and belief in modern Britain using evidence

Key learning points

  • • The headline figures
  • • What the figures do not tell you
  • • A country of local differences

This lesson at a glance

  • 25 minutes
  • 16 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

religionbeliefmodernbritainevidence

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 16 · Discover6%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 16

Watch first

What the evidence says about belief in Britain

An English teaching video on this topic from Politics, Philosophy & Religion at Lancaster. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Describe the place of religion and belief in modern Britain using evidence

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 16

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · The headline figures

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 16

Learn

The headline figures

In the 2021 census for England and Wales, 'Christian' was recorded by 46.2% of people — under half for the first time — 'no religion' by 37.2%, and 'Muslim' by 6.5%. Hindu, Sikh, Jewish and Buddhist responses together made up a few per cent more. The direction of change is clear: fewer Christian responses, more 'no religion'.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 16

Learn

What the figures do not tell you

The census asks what religion you are, not what you do or believe. Someone may tick 'Christian' for family and cultural reasons without attending church; someone ticking 'no religion' may still pray. So census data measures identity, while attendance surveys measure practice — they answer different questions.

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Quick check

Part 5 of 16

Quick check

In the 2021 census for England and Wales, 'Christian' was recorded by

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Quick check

Part 6 of 16

Quick check

The census religion question measures

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Reset break

Part 7 of 16

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 16

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · A country of local differences

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 16

Learn

A country of local differences

Figures vary sharply by place: some London boroughs record very high Muslim or Hindu populations, parts of Wales record very high 'no religion'. Britain also has an established church, faith schools and bishops in the House of Lords, so religion remains part of public life even as identity shifts.

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Quick check

Part 10 of 16

Quick check

Which claim does the data support?

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Quick check

Part 11 of 16

Quick check

Why give local figures as well as national ones?

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Explore the idea

Part 12 of 16

Worked example

Worked example

Claim: 'Nobody in Britain is religious any more.' Test it against the data: 46.2% still recorded Christian and 6.5% Muslim in 2021, so the claim is false. A fair version would be: 'Christian identity has fallen below half and ‘no religion’ has risen sharply, but a majority still record a religion.' Rewriting an overclaim using evidence is exactly what the objective asks for.

13

Challenge round

Part 13 of 16

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

14

Challenge round

Part 14 of 16

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

In the 2021 census for England and Wales, 'Christian' was recorded by 46.2% of people — under half for the first time — 'no ____' by 37.2%, and 'Muslim' by 6.5%.

____ also has an established church, faith schools and bishops in the House of Lords, so religion remains part of public life even as identity shifts.

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Mastery quiz

Part 15 of 16

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: What the evidence says about belief in Britain

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. In the 2021 census for England and Wales, 'Christian' was recorded by

  2. 2. The census religion question measures

  3. 3. Which claim does the data support?

  4. 4. Why give local figures as well as national ones?

16

Lesson round-up

Part 16 of 16

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Source

Two teachings on forgiveness

In Christian teaching, Jesus is asked how many times a person should forgive. He answers not seven times but seventy-seven — meaning forgiveness should not be counted at all. The Lord's Prayer links the two directions together: forgive us as we forgive others.

In Islamic teaching, one of the names of God is al-Ghaffar, the Ever-Forgiving. Muslims are taught that God's mercy is greater than any wrong a person can do, and that those who pardon others are closer to God than those who take revenge.

Both traditions distinguish forgiving from forgetting. A person may forgive and still expect justice, and may seek safety from someone who has harmed them.

Original paraphrases written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. What does each teaching say about how far forgiveness should go?
  2. Explain how a believer might use one of these teachings after being hurt by a friend.
  3. "Forgiving someone means letting them off." Give two views on this and say which is stronger, with reasons.

  • Reading and response

    Reading

    Read the lesson text again — especially any scripture, story or quotation — then write what it teaches and how a believer would use it.

    2 paragraphs (PEE)

  • Extended writing

    Writing

    Answer the lesson's big question as an exam answer would: a clear view, a reason, a teaching or example as evidence, and a different view weighed against yours.

    250–350 words

  • Belief in your own words

    Writing

    Explain what this belief means and give one example of how it changes what people do.

    8–10 sentences

  • Different views

    Writing

    Write two different views on this question and say which you find stronger, and why.

    2 paragraphs

  • Symbol or belief diagram

    Diagram

    Draw the symbol, place of worship or idea from this lesson with labels explaining what each part means, then photograph it.

    1 labelled drawing

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Part 1 of 16 · Watch & discover

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