Half of “true believers” in Britain say faith influences how they will vote

The survey of 2,064 UK adults, conducted by Whitestone Insights reveals that, while only 24% of all religious UK adults agreed with the statement, “my faith will shape the way I vote in the general election”, this more than doubles for religious UK adults who are “exclusivists” (religious adults who say their faith is the only true religion). 

This also varies between faiths: while only 48% of exclusivist Christians agreed, this rises to 52% of exclusivist Hindus and 57% of exclusivist Muslims.

Dr. Jake Scott, secretary for the Institute, says of these findings:

This indicates a possible future trend of voting on the basis of religious beliefs. It is also worth noting that the majority of 18-24s will be voting in a General Election for the first time, establishing the foundation for their future (habitual) voting behaviour. 

Evidently, people of faith of a younger age are more likely than older people of faith to say that their faith would make a difference to the way they will vote in the general election. Almost two fifths (38%) of 25-34s said that it would, compared to only 15% of over 65s.

This would suggest religion is going to become an increasingly important factor in British elections. 

For any further information or commentary, please contact Dr Jake Scott, secretary for the Institute.

Dr Jake Scott
jake.scott@iifl.org.uk

Notes for editors:

• Whitestone Insight interviewed 2,064 UK adults online between 31st May and 2nd June 2024. Data were weighted to be representative of all UK adults. Whitestone Insight is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.
• The full set of data can be found here.
• IIFL is a research forum examining the role that faith and religious belief plays in the lives of people in the UK, whether at work, at home, or in the community.