Bible Society stands by ‘Quiet Revival’ research

Rhiannon McAleer, Director of Research and Impact on the Bible Society, has defended research published last 12 months showing a “quiet revival” in Christianity in Britain.

The research, conducted by YouGov on behalf of Bible Society, found that last 12 months around 12% of adults attended church a minimum of once a month, up from just 8% in 2018.

In particular young people were found to be attending church in ever larger numbers, with a fifth of men aged 18-24 attending church a minimum of once a month, up from just 4 per cent of that demographic in 2018. Among women of the identical age the figure rose from 4 per cent to 12 per cent.

However, Pew Research has recently forged doubt on the findings, suggesting that the usage of opt-in surveys, versus random members of the general public, can have skewed the outcomes.

Speaking to Christian Daily International, lead researcher McAleer said, “Our data is powerful … YouGov has continued to back it. They are standing by it and so are we.

“We welcome open and real dialogue, but we do call for fair standards to be applied … There’s sometimes a little bit of methodological sleight of hand where people criticize our methods but not the methods of other datasets they’re using to criticize us.”

She added that prior to publishing their research, Bible Society had been hearing anecdotal evidence from churches suggesting renewed interest in faith, particularly amongst young men. Despite this, she says that her team was not expecting to see this manifested so strongly in the info.

“When you get a surprising end in statistics, you actually check the info … So we went back to YouGov, who were the agency that conducted the survey for us, and really checked that the methodology was robust and that there was no methodological issue with the brand new data we had.”

In short, the anecdotes were backed up by data. Since the publication of the Bible Society’s report yet more anecdotal evidence has are available backing up claims of a “quiet revival”.

Churches up and down the country have reported surges in interest at Easter and Christmas, well beyond the conventional seasonal bump. And for a while now, cathedrals have been having fun with strong turnouts.

Speculating on why young men specifically are increasingly going to church McAleer said, “I believe many young men in Britain and across the wider world are discontented. We see a crisis in men’s mental health, and we also see shifts within the secular world in how some young men are behaving — around things like gym culture, an interest in stoicism, a seek for discipline, and healthier lifestyles.

“You can see it in a number of places — people trying to seek out recent ways of living that result in flourishing — and, after all, Jordan Peterson is tapping into that desire as well.

“It doesn’t surprise me that in that atmosphere some people would find fulfilment in church.

“It is especially interesting in our dataset that after we have a look at non-churchgoers, we asked them, ‘Are you enthusiastic about learning more concerning the Bible?’ Young adults were more likely than another age group to say yes, but particularly young men who aren’t currently going to church.”