These datasets provide datasets on the religion people connect or identify with (their religious affiliation), whether or not they practise or have belief in it, by age and sex using Census 2021 data.

Religious groups in the detailed religion classification

The counts for religious groups identified in the Religion (detailed) in England and Wales dataset are a representation of those who chose to write in their religion. Some people may have chosen to describe a denomination of one of the tick-box responses (for example, Catholic as a denomination of Christian or Orthodox as a denomination of Jewish) through the "Any other religion" write-in response option.

2011 Religion data

In 2011, an error in the processing of census data led to the number of usual residents in the “Religion not stated” category being overestimated by a total of 62,000 for the following three local authorities combined: Camden, Islington, and Tower Hamlets.

In February 2015, the ONS published corrected figures for estimates based on the tick-box classification. However, it could not be corrected for the detailed religion classification because the processing and relationships with other output variables are so complex.

For this reason, only apply comparisons for these three local authorities to the tick-box classification, using the corrected figures set out in the ONS 2011 Census products: Issues and corrections notice.

For this publication, where corrected figures for the tick-box classification from the 2011 Census are available, they have been used. Where they are not (for single year of age by sex), the ONS has used data from the CT0291_2011 commissioned table.

The overall aim was to conduct a wide-ranging survey of Catholic adults living in Britain, which asked about many aspects of their lives, including their socio-demographic circumstances, the nature and extent of their religious engagement (belonging, behaviour and beliefs), their views of the Catholic Church’s leadership, institutions and teachings, and their social and political attitudes. The survey was conducted online by Savanta ComRes, in October-November 2019. This is a cross-sectional dataset, based on interviews with 1,823 self-identifying Catholics adults in Britain (aged 18 and over).

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. The overall objective of the research was to help explain the take-up of Grant Maintained Status by Church of England and Roman Catholic secondary schools and the dramatic variations in take-up between different local education authorities (LEAs). The investigators were keen to document the evolution of Grant Maintained Status from its inception and particularly in terms of its impact on church schools. To understand how secondary schools made decisions about seeking to 'opt out' of their LEA it was felt essential to be able to place this process within the local LEA area context. The research strove to understand the different parts played by the key stakeholders in the school including parents, LEA officers, parish, diocesan and episcopal representatives, teachers and headteachers. This approach allowed the exploration of the particular control, financial and ethical issues that impacted on the arguments for and against pursuing Grant Maintained Status. The final key aim of the research was to inform users and stakeholders at both local and national levels of the issues raised in the debates within different types of schools around seeking Grant Maintained Status.

This table provides Census 2021 estimates that classify people by Country of birth (12 categories) by Religion or religion brought up in for Northern Ireland. The table contains 48 counts.

The census collected information on the usually resident population of Northern Ireland on census day (21 March 2021). Initial contact letters or questionnaire packs were delivered to every household and communal establishment, and residents were asked to complete online or return the questionnaire with information as correct on census day. Special arrangements were made to enumerate special groups such as students, members of the Travellers Community, HM Forces personnel etc. The Census Coverage Survey (an independent doorstep survey) followed between 12 May and 29 June 2021 and was used to adjust the census counts for under-enumeration.

notes

1. 'EU' is the European Union and is as defined on census day (21 March 2021).
2. People who gave 'Cyprus' as their country of birth are included within the 'Europe: Other EU countries' category.
3. 'Europe: Other Non-EU countries' includes United Kingdom (part not specified) and Ireland (part not specified).
4. 'Religion' indicates religion, religious denomination or body.
5. 'Catholic' includes those who gave their current religion as Catholic or Roman Catholic.

Quality assurance report can be found here

This dataset provides Census 2021 estimates that classify usual residents in Northern Ireland by their religion, and by broad age bands.

The census collected information on the usually resident population of Northern Ireland on census day (21 March 2021). Initial contact letters or questionnaire packs were delivered to every household and communal establishment, and residents were asked to complete online or return the questionnaire with information as correct on census day. Special arrangements were made to enumerate special groups such as students, members of the Travellers Community, HM Forces personnel etc. The Census Coverage Survey (an independent doorstep survey) followed between 12 May and 29 June 2021 and was used to adjust the census counts for under-enumeration.

'Religion' indicates religion, religious denomination or body.

'Age' is age at last birthday.

'Catholic' includes those who gave their current religion as Catholic or Roman Catholic.

Quality assurance report can be found here

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. To collect social, demographic, electoral and linguistic data for each of 118 British and Irish counties in the period 1851 - 1966, in order to study national development in the UK and Ireland. Main Topics: Variables County. Population: growth, proportion aged 65 and over, sex ratio, density, marriage rate, per capita income, proportion in agriculture/manufacturing/middle class/civil service, proportion who were female domestics. Proportion urban, city size, index of ethnic diversity, vote residual and income residual. Proportion voting Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Nationalist Party. Proportion Celtic speakers. Religiosity, literacy. Proportion of Church of England, non-conformists, Roman Catholics. Proportion English born, Welsh born, Scottish, Irish and French. Voting turnout, birth rate, infant mortality rate. See Hechter (AJS 79 2 Sept 1973). Please note: this study does not include information on named individuals and would therefore not be useful for personal family history research. No information recorded Compilation or synthesis of existing material

This table provides Census 2021 estimates that classify people by National identity (8 categories) by Religion (8 categories) for Northern Ireland. The table contains 64 counts.

The census collected information on the usually resident population of Northern Ireland on census day (21 March 2021). Initial contact letters or questionnaire packs were delivered to every household and communal establishment, and residents were asked to complete online or return the questionnaire with information as correct on census day. Special arrangements were made to enumerate special groups such as students, members of the Travellers Community, HM Forces personnel etc. The Census Coverage Survey (an independent doorstep survey) followed between 12 May and 29 June 2021 and was used to adjust the census counts for under-enumeration.

'Religion' indicates religion, religious denomination or body. 'Catholic' includes those who gave their current religion as Catholic or Roman Catholic.

Quality assurance report can be found here

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. This is a qualitative data collection. The primary aim of the project was to develop and test an analytical framework for partnership in aid chains. The framework was derived by analysing the aid chain of the Catholic Church, focussing specifically on the relationships between the diocese of Abuja Ecclesiastical Province (AEP) and four major Catholic-based donors (Misereor, CAFOD, Trocaire and Catholic Relief Services (CRS)). A semi-structured questionnaire was designed to explore aspects of partnership. This was followed by fieldwork in Nigeria, UK, USA, Ireland, Germany and Belgium. In Nigeria, interviews were held with staff of the diocese that comprise AEP, Province, Inter-Province and Catholic Secretariat as well as Federal Government Officials. The research confirmed the complexity of 'partnership' within the Catholic Church development structures. Relationships are south-south, north-north and north-south. South-south primarily comprises partnership within diocese, provinces and the national context, while north-south is between structures of the Nigerian Church and the international donors. North-north is between Catholic donors (including via CARITAS and/or CIDSE networks) and between the Catholic donors and government aid agencies. There is 'patchiness' in terms of relationships both between Southern partners and Northern donors but also within each of these groups. For example, there are issues of inequality between diocese in Nigeria in terms of being able to access donor funding as well as sensitive gender issues between religious personnel charged with managing development 'on the ground'. These issues strike at the very heart of Catholic Social Teaching. However, while a snapshot analysis of partnership based on power differential yields some insights, the relationships are much longer term and there is inter-dependence. Partners wanted to work through differences and were willing to invest in doing so. But some problems are clearly more intractable than others and do present a challenge for the Church. Further information can be found at the funding award web page. The award is part of the ESRC's Non-Governmental Public Action Programme (NGPA). Main Topics: The main topics cover partnership and funding within the Catholic Church aid chain. Purposive selection/case studies Face-to-face interview

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. This source hails from the earlier years of large-scale survey research in Britain, with the electronic data file created following scanning of and data capture from original survey returns. The data collection provides insight into the lifestyles and religiosity of urban young people, predominantly working-class, at the dawn of the affluent society. It comprises a stratified random sample survey of the religious, social and associational lives of young people aged 15-24 in urban England in 1957. It was designed and fielded by the Newman Demographic Survey, a private research institute directed by religious sociologist Tony Spencer, in collaboration with Young Christian Workers, a faith-based youth organisation. The investigators aimed to yield a sample of English urban youth which would include at least 1000 Catholic respondents, representing all English Catholic dioceses. 8196 was achieved, of which following some apparently random data loss 5834 were of sufficient quality for scanning and data capture in 2010. The survey instrument consisted primarily of closed-form items piloted in Gateshead, Highgate and Manchester, and was designed following correspondence with specialist survey experts: Len England (1901-1999), Director of Mass Observation; Leslie Austen, director of Social Surveys (Gallup Poll) Ltd; and W.L. Readman at the National Food Survey at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. John Mandeville of the British Tabulating Machine Company, a British-based company operating under licence to IBM, also provided advice to the survey investigators. The electoral register was used as the sampling frame, using a version of the 'nth page' method. To prevent interviewer fatigue, about half of the respondents (70% of Anglicans) completed a short version of the questionnaire, covering items on leisure and religious belief, while the remainder completed a longer version including items on associational memberships, schooling, religious attendance and practice, marital status, and parental country and religion of origin. Some written-in responses (on leisure, religious affiliation, associational memberships and occupation) have been captured. Design and post-stratification weights have been calculated for users. Main Topics: The religious, social and associational lives of young people aged 15-24 in urban England in 1957; their domestic circumstances, educational background and current working status. Multi-stage stratified random sample The investigators aimed to stratify the sample, at the first stage by the populations of urban areas by standard (now Government Office) region aged 15-24 as enumerated in the 1951 Census. Within each standard region they originally stratified according to the size of total population of boroughs, districts and local authorities as of 30 June 1955 divided as follows: 500,000 and more; 100,000-499,999; 50,000-99,999; 10,000-49,999; fewer than 10,000. Due to resource constraints, a first compromise was the decision not to cover authorities with smaller populations, as essentially comprising large villages and market towns. The sample universe was accordingly 'persons, in urban areas of England with population exceeding 50,000, age 15 to 24 inclusive'. The original aspiration to sample boroughs randomly was next abandoned as too resource-intensive. It had originally been hoped that the 'flying squad method' could be used, with smaller numbers of YCW volunteers travelling to areas where they were poorly-represented by car. Instead, boroughs were identified from a list of towns where the YCW had sections strong enough to field the survey without extensive additional help. Accordingly this probably introduced some bias in that the YCW was undoubtedly stronger in towns with higher proportions of Catholics and more active churches, congregations and clergy. This may reduce external validity somewhat. Within these boroughs, the electoral register was used as the sampling frame, using a version of the 'nth page' method. Where a household hosted more than one young person aged 15-24, it is not clear from the notes for interviewers how they were sampled. The number of residents aged 15-24 was however recorded for the creation of design weights. Face-to-face interview

This interview is part of the Women, Risk and Aids Project (1989-90) archive which was created as part of the Reanimating Data Project (2018-20).Original transcript of a short interview with a school aged young woman (Susan) living in north Manchester. The interview covers a brief description of the young woman’s family life and relationship with parents which she describes as ok; her school life and plans to do a YTS scheme as a secretary when she leaves school; her experiences of school sex education in which she learnt in biology and PSE about HIV and AIDS; some discussion of condoms as embarrassing and the man’s responsibility; she has not had any sexual experiences and does not want a boyfriend at the moment, although she experiences some pressure from parents to have one; spends her spare / leisure time with girl friends roller skating or going to the cinema.

This data collection consists of semi- structured interviews conducted between 2013 and 2015 with a cross-section of religious and political activists in Belfast, Bradford, Dublin and London exploring attitudes to martyrdom and self-sacrifice since 1914. The research project examined the development of the concept of martyrdom and sacrificial death in Britain and Ireland since the outbreak of the First World War. It proceeded through archival, library and web-based research on historic sources, including books and pamphlets, newspapers and online databases, supplemented as necessary by site visits. The leadership activities sought to integrate key insights from other relevant GU projects, exploring both various understandings of religion and quasi-religion, and weighing their importance against other non-religious factors. Work proceeded by means of telephone interviews with researchers leading to an initial working paper. User responses were gathered through two seminars and the project website; and selected researchers attended a symposium intended to distil insights and implications for users and to present them in an accessible form. A widely-circulated hardcopy summary of the outcomes together with online video resources was made available to users, who were invited to attend one of a series of dissemination seminars to be held at various locations around the UK. The leadership interviews and accompanying documentation are also deposited in the UK Data Archive in the collection 'Religion martyrdom and global uncertainties - Part 1: Leadership interviews' (see Related Resources). The data was collected in semi-structured interviews, which were subsequently transcribed. The Belfast, Bradford and Dublin interviews were conducted by the Belfast-based Institute for Conflict Research, who were contracted as consultants on the project - the Belfast ones by John Bell and the Bradford and Dublin ones by Neil Jarman The London interviews were conducted by Gavin Moorhead, the project Research Associate. All three interviewers followed a structure developed by the PI and discussed with them in advance. The PI also sat in on a selection of interviews. The objective was to achieve a sample of equal proportions of Catholics, Muslims and Protestants across the four case study sites, taking into account the relative numbers of each group in the four cities. Thus Protestants make up the majority of the Belfast sample, Catholics predominate in Dublin, Muslims in Bradford. These identifications were made on the basis of community background not active religious practice, although interviewees were asked to about their religious practice (or absence of it). A parallel objective was to ensure that at least a third of interviewees were women. The eventual distribution of 46 interviews (including one double interview) was Protestant 13, Muslim 16, Catholic 17; Male 30; Female 16. No attempt was made to achieve an even age distribution, as this was thought to be unrealistic in a limited sample alongside the other sampling requirements: it will be noted that the Catholic and Protestant interviewees were in general older than the Muslim ones. Interviewees were identified through existing contacts and networks and through some 'snowballing'. The researchers received valuable assistance from Dr Muhammad Ilyas in approaching Muslim interviewees in London.