The data for our November tracker was collated by Whitestone Insight, a member of the British Polling Council, from online interviews with 2,083 UK adults between the 25th and 27th of October.
The highest difference in responses between October and November was on whether religion should be discussed in the workplace and whether British politicians should discuss their faith. There was a significant fall in agreement from Hindu respondents with the statement that people should not discuss religion in the workplace (46% decrease), while Muslim and Christian responses remained consistent with last month.
However, Hindus showed significantly less agreement with the idea that British politicians should be open about their faith (44% decrease). Christian responses showed a marginal increase in support (5%), while Muslim responses stayed the same. This suggests a clear demarcation for Hindu respondents in this sample between faith in the workplace and politics. That said, these figures are still considerably higher than the national average, reflecting a higher tolerance for personal accounts of faith in politics by faith groups.
Responses to whether religion is a force for good in society also showed stark differences between October and November. Hindu support for this statement dropped by 39%, while Muslim support increased marginally by 4% and Christian support by 1%. The degree to which life purpose had been found through faith in the last four weeks also showed a notable change, with a 37% decline in Hindu agreement and a 7% decline in agreement by Muslims. Christian responses, however, remained consistent with last month.
To what extent did faith respondents report feeling free to practice their faith without fear or intimidation? This month, 82% of Hindu respondents reported feeling comfortable practising their faith, a significant increase of 27%. Muslim perceptions of religious freedom declined from 58% to 48%, while Christian perceptions remained the same. The perceived threat posed by religious extremism declined across Christian respondents (4% decrease), Muslim (2% decrease) and Hindu respondents (19% decrease).
Responses to media religious coverage also showed change. Hindu participants (48%) were most likely to feel content with how Hinduism is portrayed in the media – an increase of 28%. Christians reported less satisfaction, with 39% content with Christian representation, reflecting a 5% decrease from last month. While Muslims reported the highest levels of dissatisfaction. Only 20% reported feeling comfortable with how their faith is portrayed – a 7% decrease from last month’s sample.
More Hindus and Muslims agreed that the media had generally portrayed all religions negatively in the last four weeks. Figures showed increases of 20% for Hindus and 6% for Muslims. In contrast, 16% of Christian respondents agreed with the statement (compared to 43% of Muslim and 33% of Hindu respondents) – a 4% decrease from last month.
While difficult to explain, the dramatic shifts in Hindu responses evident in this month’s tracker are perhaps a reminder of the fluidity of religious attitudes to life. They are a reminder that the practice of religion within the UK, like anywhere, is far less a concrete certainty than a reactive and responsive changing landscape.
Methodology: The data for our November tracker was collated by Whitestone Insight, a member of the British Polling Council, from online interviews with 2,083 UK adults between the 25th and 27th of October.