Media Watch: the ‘Quiet Revival’, disestablishment, and public Muslim prayer

 

Has there really been a ‘Quiet Revival’ of religious belief?

On 1 February, annoyingly a day too late to make our February issue, the BBC Radio 4 Sunday programme featured a discussion about the so-called ‘Quiet Revival’ of religious belief among younger people and whether this is really supported by recent research. The controversy is discussed by Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK and Linda Woodhead, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at King’s College London (at 35.30).

Since that discussion aired, the picture has changed significantly. The ‘Quiet Revival’ report has now been withdrawn after the underlying YouGov survey data was found to be unreliable, including evidence of fraudulent responses. The Bible Society has acknowledged that the data can no longer be considered a sound basis for its conclusions, effectively undermining the claim of a resurgence in religious belief among younger people. By contrast, long-running studies such as the British Social Attitudes survey and the Census for England and Wales continue to show a sustained decline in religious affiliation, particularly among younger age groups.

Is public Muslim prayer threatening?

On 19 March, The Spectator published an article by Jonathan Sacerdoti examining the backlash to Conservative MP Nick Timothy’s critical comment on X about a recent public Muslim prayer in Trafalgar Square, attended by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. His article is in support of the MP and expresses concern about Muslim prayer in public places generally, claiming that this is more intimidating to the public than, say, Christian or Jewish public worship.

The disestablishment debate

On 25 March 25, Andrew Copson could again be heard, this time in an episode of The Moral Maze entitled Is an Established Church Morally Defensible? He was one of the ‘witnesses’ grilled by panelists Carmody Grey, Tim Stanley, Mona Siddiqui and Anne McElvoy. Andrew made a robust defence of the disestablishment position as did one or two of the other speakers. I really recommend listening to the whole programme as it’s very interesting, but Andrew’s contribution starts at 3.08.