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"I'd be curious to see how atheism fits in" In the UK, we have a census every 10 years that tries to collect detailed information about the population. The las

"I'd be curious to see how atheism fits in" In the UK, we have a census every 10 years that tries to collect detailed information about the population. The last census was in 2011 and contained an optional question: what is your religion? The number who said they had no religion was 14.1 million which equals 25% of the population of England and Wales. This is a rise from the 2001 census where 15% of the population (of England and Wales) said they had no religion. There was a decline in the number of people who called themselves Christian and a rise in all other minority religions. Here's a very informative short video (4 mins) from the Office of National Statistics in the UK examining religion in England and Wales from the 2011 census. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXdZJoXuxC8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXdZJoXuxC8

baddox 12y ago
I wonder if people who identify as following no religion are more likely to answer the UK census question than people who follow a religion.
- chestnut-tree 12y ago
  Perhaps. The video states that 7% (of the population of England and Wales) did not answer the question about religion. Also, these stats don't tell us anything about the practice of belief i.e. how religious people are. For example, are they nominally religious or actively practicing?
polemic 12y ago
In New Zealand the 2013 census had 40% declared No Religion. Just under 50% are Christian, a full 12% were undeclared.
pionar 12y ago
But, there's a difference between not having a religion and atheism. Atheism is the belief that there is no God. Just because one does not have a religion does not make them atheist. I have no religion and yet I am not an atheist.
- lukevdp 12y ago
  Atheism is the lack of a belief in a god. You can categorise it into a subset of people who believe there is no god (positive atheism) and people who simply have no belief (negative atheism) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism#Implicit_vs._explicit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism#Implicit_vs._explicit
  - mbubb 12y ago
    Semantics perhaps but isn't a 'belief that there is no god'? I tend to think of agnosticism as a 'lack of belief in a god'
    - br78 12y ago
      A unicorn agnostic would say "I have no evidence for the existence of unicorns, so there may or may not be unicorns" but a unicorn atheist would say "I have no evidence for the existence of unicorns, so I don't believe unicorns exist". It is a matter of semantics.
    - TheCoelacanth 12y ago
      Agnosticism is a subset of atheism.
  - esrauch 12y ago
    What if you can believe in god and have no religion?
    - lukevdp 12y ago
      Broadly speaking you would be a non religious theist. If you believe a God exists and reject that it can be known through religion, that would make you a deist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

baddox 12y ago

I wonder if people who identify as following no religion are more likely to answer the UK census question than people who follow a religion.

chestnut-tree 12y ago
Perhaps. The video states that 7% (of the population of England and Wales) did not answer the question about religion. Also, these stats don't tell us anything about the practice of belief i.e. how religious people are. For example, are they nominally religious or actively practicing?

polemic 12y ago

In New Zealand the 2013 census had 40% declared No Religion. Just under 50% are Christian, a full 12% were undeclared.

pionar 12y ago

But, there's a difference between not having a religion and atheism. Atheism is the belief that there is no God. Just because one does not have a religion does not make them atheist. I have no religion and yet I am not an atheist.

lukevdp 12y ago
Atheism is the lack of a belief in a god. You can categorise it into a subset of people who believe there is no god (positive atheism) and people who simply have no belief (negative atheism) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism#Implicit_vs._explicit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism#Implicit_vs._explicit
- mbubb 12y ago
  Semantics perhaps but isn't a 'belief that there is no god'? I tend to think of agnosticism as a 'lack of belief in a god'
  - br78 12y ago
    A unicorn agnostic would say "I have no evidence for the existence of unicorns, so there may or may not be unicorns" but a unicorn atheist would say "I have no evidence for the existence of unicorns, so I don't believe unicorns exist". It is a matter of semantics.
  - TheCoelacanth 12y ago
    Agnosticism is a subset of atheism.
- esrauch 12y ago
  What if you can believe in god and have no religion?
  - lukevdp 12y ago
    Broadly speaking you would be a non religious theist. If you believe a God exists and reject that it can be known through religion, that would make you a deist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism