NEWPORT, Wales – The Census for 2021* has just been released and displays the changing face of England and Wales in the early 2020s. The census is conducted every 10 years by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It’s currently attracting the attention of the national press, as some of the statistics are indicative of a significant rise in the numbers of people who describe themselves as Pagan, of various forms.
ONS logo
The Government explains that the question on religion “refers to a person’s religious affiliation. This is the religion with which they connect or identify, rather than their beliefs or active religious practice.” Professor Linda Woodhead, from King’s College London, advises that responding “no religion” does not necessarily mean that you have no spiritual practices or beliefs:
“Some will be atheist, a lot will be agnostic – they just say, ‘I don’t really know’ – and some will be spiritual and be doing spiritual things.”
Answering the question is voluntary – however, 94.0% (56.0 million) of usual residents answered the question in 2021, which shows an increase from 92.9% (52.1 million) in 2011.
The most common response was ‘Christian:’ 46.2% (27.5 million people) described themselves as this on the 2021 census. This shows a 13.1% decrease from 59.3% (33.3 million) in 2011. For the first time ever, this represents less than half the population. The second most common response was ‘no religion.’ Muslim and Hindu responses increased: 3.9 million (6.5%) up from 4.9% in 2011 for Muslims, in 2021 and 1.0 million (1.7%) up from 818,000 in 2011 (1.5%).
Wales saw a decrease in respondents who described themselves as Christian and an increase in those who said that they followed ‘no religion.’
London is, unsurprisingly, the most diverse part of England and Wales. The least diverse, in terms of religion, is the South-West of England (Glastonbury might provide a small counterweight all by itself!) However, 1,769 people in Cornwall responded that they were Pagan – the third most commonly described religion in the county.
Among the 405,000 (0.7% of the overall population in England and Wales) who chose to write in response through the “Any other religion” option were the following religions:
Pagan (74,000)
Alevi (26,000)
Jain (25,000)
Wicca (13,000)
Ravidassia (10,000)
Shamanism (8,000)
Rastafarian (6,000)
Zoroastrian (4,000)
The largest increase was seen in those describing their religion as “Shamanism”, increasing more than tenfold to 8,000 from 650 in 2011. However, Paganism is clearly in the lead in the ‘any other religion’ category.
The Metro newspaper ran a slightly alarmist headline in response to the information revealed by the Census: “Thousands converting to shamanism across England and Wales, census reveals” – rather as though residents had been opening their doors to find earnest Shamans on the doorstep talking about the benefits of using a rattle. Facetiousness aside, Shamanism in the U.K. does not define itself as a religion but as a spirituality, according to the Shamanism U.K. website.
Overall, the statistics on Paganism, Wicca, and Shamanism are revealing and interesting. Aleem Maqbool, the BBC’s editor on Religion, notes that:
“It may feel like a pivotal moment, with the census showing fewer than half of people in England and Wales identifying as Christian, but for years social surveys have shown a rapid rise in those who define themselves as having no religion, often reporting that as the largest category – that is not the case in the census data.
With its very simple optional question, “What is your religion?”, the census does not illustrate the range of 22.2 million people in the “no religion” category; from those who do not believe in god at all to those who do in some form, or believe in the power of prayer and an afterlife or are spiritual in some way.
The trend away from faith is not something that is reflected in major non-Christian religions which all saw a rise, with more than 1.2 million more people identifying as Muslim in England and Wales in 2021 as compared to 2011. As with ethnicity, patterns of family size and immigration are seen as contributory factors.”
The Chief Executive of Humanists U.K., Andrew Copson, says that the figures should be a “…wake-up call which prompts fresh reconsiderations of the role of religion in society. No state in Europe 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.”
What is the most common religion where you live? 📍
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) November 30, 2022
Our Census maps tool allows you to view religious diversity in your neighbourhood and across England and Wales 🗺
Explore our interactive map today 🔎 https://t.co/aXiEAHniwr pic.twitter.com/NZDtj5hbJG
We canvassed community opinions:
Humanist-leaning, atheist/agnostic Ruth Booth told TWH, “I think Linda Woodhead and the Archbishop of York make some great comments here. In contrast to the image of the modern world as less spiritual, I think that this survey as a whole indicates people are more thoughtful about what it means to belong to a particular faith these days, resulting in a rise in representation amongst those faiths considered minorities in the UK.”
“I identified as Pagan because the (IMO) mis-truthfulness in English (Christian) religion is full of falsifications, lies and white nationalism. I can say that from a minority nation – Cornwall- that was once granted a status, it still galls me that despite government acknowledgment, I still cannot put Cornish as a nationality. The religious side of it is all down to persecution of family by the Crown. Our family lived in peace until subdued by the English. Reference: Tamsin Blee (Blight) white witch of Helston,” Jake Blight, who identifies as Pagan said.
Jacqueline Kirwan, who identifies as a Celtic Pagan, said, “Various branches of paganism are up, perhaps people felt more able to select it. As we had paganism/Roman paganism/Anglo-Saxon paganism and Norse paganism before we were converted it could be regarded as a step back to the true indigenous beliefs? Seriously though, I think a lot of people were putting Christianity as a default, now they don’t feel as bad putting agnostic, atheist, New Age, or whatever. Naturally, I put Celtic Paganism.”
*The 2021 Census applies only to England and Wales. Scotland’s Census was delayed by Covid-19 and pandemic restrictions.
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