Fewer residents of Ashfield identify as Christian

Humanists UK ran campaigns in the lead up to the censuses in 2011 and 2021 encouraging non-religious people to select “no religion”.

The organisation said the recent figures should be a “wake-up call” for reconsidering the role religion has in society.

Office for National Statistics data from the 2021 census shows 42 per cent of people in Ashfield selected Christianity as their religion, down significantly from 58 per cent in the last survey a decade before.

About 50 per cent selected "no religion" last year, a leap from 34 per cent in 2011.

The area follows trends across England where 46 per cent of people described themselves as Christian in the recent census, down from 59 per cent a decade earlier, while the percentage of people saying they had no religion jumped from 25 per cent, in 2011, to 37 per cent, last year.

The Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, said: “It’s not a great surprise the census shows fewer people in this country identifying as Christian, but still throws down a challenge to us not only to trust that God will build his kingdom on Earth, but also to play our part in making Christ known.”

Nationally, there were increases in the proportion of people describing themselves as Muslim, with 6.5 per cent selecting the religion last year, up from 4.9 per cent in the previous census. More people also identified as Hindu, increasing from 1.5 per cent in 2011 to 1.7 per cent in 2021.

The figures show more people in Ashfield identify as Muslim, with 762 selecting the religion last year, up from 375 in 2011.

Additionally, 418 residents said they were Hindu in the survey, up from 218 10 years ago.

There were 250 Buddhists and 40 residents who selected Judaism, while 239 said they were pagans and 20 said they practice Heathenism.

The National Secular Society said the figures show aspects of society such as the Anglican establishment and daily prayers in parliament and schools, are “inappropriate, outdated and fail to reflect the country we live in” and called for reform.

Stephen Evans, society chief executive, said: “It’s official – we are no longer a Christian country.”