There is “no clear evidence” of a Christian revival in the UK, according to an American think tank.
The Pew Research Center claims research suggesting there has been a ‘quiet revival’ is “misleading” because of the methodology used, with some studies using opt-in panels who have signed up to participate in surveys.
Pew researchers point to the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which shows a decline in British people identifying as Christian from 54 to 44 per cent from 2018 to 2025. The LFS randomly samples 20,000 households each quarter.
However, the reliability of this survey has been questioned after a series of high-profile errors by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), who compile the figures.
Pew also pointed to the British Social Attitudes Survey, surveying 3,000 adults, which suggested the proportion of 18 to 34-year-olds who went to church once a month went down from 12 per cent to 9 per cent between 2018 and 2024.
A survey commissioned by the Bible Society, conducted by YouGov, found that church attendance among 18 to 34-year-olds has more than tripled between 2018 and 2024.
Pew asserts these random sample surveys “do not support the Christian revival narrative” and also casts doubt on the representatives from Christian organisations who interpret the results: “often that Christianity is making a comeback among young adults in the UK.”
A Bible Society spokesperson told The Times that the report was “based on a high-quality YouGov survey which uses tried and trusted methodology”, and there was “no reason to think that opt-in surveys are unreliable."
A YouGov spokesperson added that they had “not found any reason to doubt the findings” after review, saying that no survey method is “infallible."