'Love and education' key to rise of mixed-faith households in Britain

First UK survey on religious affiliations of 17.3 million families reveals more diverse nation than ever

Human hands holding different paper with faith symbols over crowded street scene. Getty Images

Love and education are contributing to a climate of tolerance in Britain, experts and faith advocates say, as one in 100 households now practises more than one religion.

Almost 300,000 households in England and Wales have people of different religions living together, according to a new analysis of the latest census data by the Press Association news agency.

The latest census, which took place on March 21, 2021, was the first survey of its kind to report religious affiliation within the 17.3 million multi-person households in England and Wales. Of these, 285,000 (1.6 per cent) had at least two faiths, according to PA.

“As Britain becomes increasingly diverse, there’s a growing confidence that we can manage the challenges of getting integration right,” Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future told The National.

Mr Katwala grew up in a Catholic household, but his Indian father converted from Hinduism when he married his Irish mother – both having moved to the UK to work in the National Health Service.

“That is played out in people’s every day experience in towns and cities across Britain and even within their homes and families,” Mr Katwala said. “More and more people are navigating secularism and faith in mixed-race and mixed-faith households, balancing integration and respect for difference.”

Multi-person households with at least two different religions. PA

In some parts of London, one in 20 in households registered more than one religion. The highest rates were in the borough of Hounslow and Westminster, at 5.5 per cent, followed by Barnet and Harrow at 5.1 per cent.

A representative of the Hounslow Friends of Faith, an interfaith community group from the borough, said this was the result of “good relations” among its diverse communities.

“We’ve developed good relations in the borough among people of faith and even of no faith,” the representative told The National. “We meet regularly to encourage cohesion and the gathering of different communities, supported by the local council.

“Education is another reason why we have multi-faith households. There is better understanding, better upbringing and education, compassion and tolerance as well as better foundations from parents who may be more liberal minded.”

The town of Slough in Berkshire was found to have the highest rate of mixed-faith households outside of London – at 4.5 per cent. “Wherever you go in Slough you will meet someone who is different to you,” said David Sparrow, chairman of the Slough Faith Partnership, an association of faith-based communities.

“Slough has for many years been the most religiously diverse town in the UK outside of London. Religious differences don’t appear to be an obstacle to a lot of people who are getting married.”

This was followed by Hertsmere and Oxford (both 3.8 per cent), while the highest in Wales were Cardiff (1.8 per cent) and Newport (1 per cent).

By contrast, parts of south-east Wales and the north of England had the lowest proportion (0.4 per cent and 0.5 per cent)

Reverend Richard Sudworth, the Church of England’s national inter-religious affairs adviser, said there will be “many stories of love, loyalty and mutual care across religious difference” behind the numbers.

“The survey adds further to the picture of the rich complexity of religious life in our nations today,” he said.

“We are beginning to understand that many of our neighbourhoods are routinely places of religious diversity.

“What this survey shows is that, increasingly, households and families are also arenas for religious diversity. Underneath these numbers will be many stories of love, loyalty and mutual care across religious difference from which we can all draw lessons and indeed celebrate.”

Yet some households have still had to overcome the more traditional attitudes of their families. “People don’t want to upset their parents and grandparents. They don’t want to cause stress and division,” said Mr Sparrow. “The key to it is love.”

The census also revealed a population that was more religiously diverse than ever, with fewer than half of people describing themselves as Christian.

Of the total 24.8 million households in England and Wales – including single-person homes – 11.0 million (44.3 per cent) were recorded as Christian-only, while 3.1 million (12.6 per cent) contained someone who was Christian and someone who had no religion.

A further 176,800 households (0.7 per cent) had someone who was Christian and somebody of any other religion, though the data does not indicate the faith.

For other single-faith households, the census recorded almost one million that were Muslim-only (988,900, or 4 per cent), along with 301,600 Hindu (1.2 per cent), 143,000 Sikh (0.6 per cent), 88,600 Jewish (0.4 per cent) and 74,700 Buddhist (0.3 per cent).

Meanwhile there were 81,800 households (0.3 per cent) with any combination of three or more of the religion categories on the census – for example, three different faiths, or two faiths plus the “no religion” category.

But society was also becoming more secular, as the census suggested nearly a third of all households in England and Wales (30.3 per cent, or 7.5 million) followed no religion at all.