Theos Report on the Nones

I didn’t post on this when it first came out and am just catching up with it now, which is that Theos recently published this report:

Hannah Waite, The Nones: Who are they and what do they believe? (London: Theos, 2022).

Some blurb:

‘Around half of Britons now categorise themselves as having “No Religion”; these are colloquially known as “Nones”. But having no religion does not mean having no beliefs. It doesn’t even mean having no religious beliefs.

‘This report explores the demography, beliefs and practices of Nones and then presents a cluster analysis of this group. It shows that Nones comprise a complex and sometimes counter-intuitive group with, for example, only 51% of them stating they “don’t believe in God,” and 42% believing in some form of the supernatural.

This report demonstrates that there are three distinctive types or clusters of Nones.

‘Each cluster displays varying degrees of belief about religion, knowledge, God and spirituality. In essence, “Campaigning Nones” are self-consciously atheistic and hostile to religion; “Tolerant Nones” are broadly atheistic but accepting of (sometimes warm towards) religion; and “Spiritual Nones”, who are characterised by a range of spiritual beliefs and practices, as much as many people who tick the “Religion” box.

More information can be found here, and a pdf of the full report is available here.

Theos Report on Religious London

A new report from Theos has recently been published:

Paul Bickley and Nathan Mladin, Religious London: Faith in a Global City (London: Theos, 2020).

Here are some paragraphs from the Theos website:

‘London is often perceived to be different from the rest of the UK – more liberal and more secular. However, Londoners are not just more likely to belong to a particular religion, but to actively participate by, for instance, attending services on a regular basis. London’s religious micro-climate is paradoxical: a secular, liberal and cosmopolitan city in which religion is becoming more visible and significant.

‘The research found that London is more religious than the rest of Britain (62% identify as religious compared to 53% across the rest of Britain ex. London).

‘Londoners are more intensely practicing (more likely to pray and more likely to attend a religious service) than those outside the capital...

‘Londoners are more socially conservative than the rest of Britain on some key moral questions...

‘Religious Londoners are more civically-minded than non-religious Londoners...

‘There is a significant sense of religious discrimination and civic discomfort in the Capital.’

A pdf of the full report is available here.

Theos Report on Religion and Violence

The latest report from Theos has recently been published:

Robin Gill, Killing in the Name of God: Addressing Religiously Inspired Violence (London: Theos, 2018).

Here are some paragraphs from the Theos website:

‘Religion and violence seem inextricably linked in the public’s mind. But what does linked actually mean?

‘The public certainly isn’t clear. While 61% of people think that the teachings of religions are essentially peaceful, 70% think that most of the wars in world history have been caused by religions. Only 8% think religions are inherently violent, but 47% think that the world would be a more peaceful place if no one was religious.

‘If there is confusion, it’s probably because the relationship between religion and violence is confusing. In this essay, ethicist Robin Gill brings some balance to a debate that, particularly of late, has been marked more by caricature than clarity.

‘Recognising that there is a problem to be addressed (if not necessarily the pathological one alleged by New Atheists) Gill goes to the heart of the issue – the specific religious texts that are hijacked to legitimise violence – and argues that read rightly they can be “defused”.

‘Killing in the Name of God will not only deepen our understanding of religion and violence but, in doing so, will enable a richer and more measured debate about these major issues of our time.’

A pdf of the full report is available here.

Theos Report on Religious Freedom

Nick Spencer, How to Think About Religious Freedom (London: Theos, 2014).

Yet another new report from Theos...

Here’s part of Jonathan Chaplin’s recommendation:

‘In this report, Nick Spencer cuts through the complexities and offers us a wonderfully clear and judicious overview of what is at stake, why religious freedom is so important to human beings and can’t be taken for granted, and how it can be more intelligently and fairly balanced with the legitimate claims for equal treatment and nondiscrimination of which our society is justly proud.’

More information is available here, and the full report is available for download here.