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 Political Demography Ethnic, National and
Religious Dimensions
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Believing in Belonging a qualitative analysis of
being Christian for the 2001 census

• Abby Day
• Religious Studies
• Lancaster University
• PhD Funded by Arts and Humanities Research
  Council

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Research context

• UK 2001 Census 72 Christian
• Less than 7 attend church regularly

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Research problem

• What do people believe in nowadays and how do we
  find out?
• Implication what do we understand about
  religious affiliation and its impacts on social,
  political and policy decisions?

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Method

• Avoid self-selection by religion or spirituality
• Avoid overtly religious questions - about God,
  church, religion, ghosts.
• In depth qualitative tease out meaning

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260 Informants

• Aged 14 83 bulge in the middle
• Male/female
• Socio-economic majority middle/lower SEGs

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Data gathering

• 68 face-to-face interviews recorded, transcribed
  verbatim
• Participant observation
• Group discussions

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Multi-dimensional

• Content what do they believe in
• Resource where did they source them
• Practice what do they do with them
• Salience how and why is this important?
• Function what does this belief do and why?

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Opening question

• 1. What do you believe in?

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Jordan, 14

• A What do you believe in?
• J Nowt.
• A Sorry?
• J I dont believe in owt. I dont believe in
  any religions.
• A You dont believe in any religions.
• J No. Im Christian but I dont believe in owt.

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Morality

• What are rights and wrongs for you? Examples?
• Have they changed for you?
• How do you know those things?
• How do you put that into practice?
• Has there ever been an inspirational figure to
  you, real or fictional?
• Are there any books, movies, TV programmes which
  have significance for you and influenced you?

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Meaning Transcendence

• When are you happiest?
• When are you must unhappy?
• What happens to you after you die?
• What frightens you?
• What do you do to comfort you during those times?
  
• What, or who, is most important to you in your
  life?

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Influence and Control

• How much influence or control do you think you
  have over your life?
• Do you ever think about the purpose or meaning in
  life? If so, what?
• No one can say for certain how it all began, but
  I wonder what your thoughts might be on how the
  universe came into being?

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Believing in belonging

• Affective, reciprocal human relationships
• the main site for sourcing and expressing
• meaning, morality and transcendence.

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Us and others

• Young - rude, disrespectful, dangerous
• Not English criminals, immoral, dangerous
• Non-traditional female rude, disrespectful, bad
  mothers, dangerous.

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Final question

• Census For the first time there was a question
  about peoples religion - none Christian, Hindu,
  Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, Buddhist or you could say
  other and write something different or you didnt
  have to answer it. What did you say? Or, a
  variation for students do you know what you
  would have said?

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68 Interviews

• 20 None
• 2 Buddhists
• 1 Muslim
• 4 Other
• 4 Dont know
• 37 Christian

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Why Christian?

• 37 Christians
• 18 Adherent
• 19 Nominalists

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Nominalist Christians (19)

• Ethnic Christians
• Natal Christians

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Terry, 47

• Well, I believe in fate, luck. Were doing what
  we do and we are what we are randomly. If that
  makes sense. I dont believe in one great deity
  whos pulling strings up in sky.

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Why did he say Christian?

• Well, only because they asked us to, not
  because, we wouldn't have any qualms, but thats
  the British way, isnt it? If people are not
  religious, theyre C of E. Church of England.
  Weddings, funerals and christenings.

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Alien culture

• T I mean, theres a bit of anti-Muslim feeling
  as anywhere else.
• A There is around here?
• T Oh, aye. But thats because they read bloody
  stupid newspapers like Sun and all that. Which
  stir it up, dont they? I mean, I wouldnt go
  shoot somebody just because he was a Muslim, but
  that is an alien culture to our culture, isnt
  it? Or is it? Am I just taking the same fears up
  as other people?

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May and Robert, 70s

• M Yeah, yeah, we would be Christian. Definitely.
  Yeah.
• A You would have ticked the box that said
  Christian?
• M Yeah.
• A And -
• R Was it on that census where you were British,
  you could be British but not English or
  something. Is that what theyre talking about
  bringing in?

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Why did they say Christian?

• A Do you think thats different than other
  peoples outlooks who wouldnt be Christian?
• R In some cases, yes, yeah. I dont want to
  bring racism into it, but its difficult not to
  in certain cases. But Id class the treatment of
  females by the Muslims, and Im afraid this is
  the Kilroy Silk situation coming out, but I think
  its always been my belief that the women are
  trodden into the ground in the Muslim world,
  entirely.

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Chris, 42

• A What about other people who arent Christian?
  Dont they have those beliefs?
• C Well, I dont know. I dont really know any. I
  dont have anything to do with, um, any other
  religions people. No doubt Pakistanis, and
  Hindus and Muslims and whatever have their own
  thoughts on it. Probably very nice people, I just
  think theres too many of them in our country.

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Not believing in owt but birthright

• J No, I dont, but my Grandma and Granddad do.
  Theyre like Irish and really strong Christians.
• A And so they believe in - ?
• J The whole bible thing.
• A And God, and Jesus?
• J Yeah.
• A So those people are Christians and they
  believe in all that stuff, and youre a Christian
  but you dont believe in that stuff.
• J No.

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Certified by Birth

• A What makes you think or say, or describe
  yourself as Christian?
• J Well, on my birth certificate it says Im
  Christian, so.

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Kathleen, 15, student

• Christian. Cos I definitely would never be,
  well, Im definitely not Sikh or a Muslim or
  whatever, and I dont think, I think being
  atheist is probably very close-minded, really. If
  you dont believe in anything then thats a bit
  sad, really, if you dont have any beliefs,
  whatsoever at all. So Id probably put Christian
  cos thats what my parents are and thats, if I
  was anything, like I said before, Id be
  Christian. That would be the thing that
  definitely, if I decided I believed in anything
  then Id become Christian, like thoroughly.

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Conclusion

• Christian identity is important as a matter of
  immediate, engaged faith for some
• As ethnic and natal identity for others

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Further research

• If half the Christians in my study are in name
  only, what does this tell us about the results
  of larger surveys?
• Do we need to question implications of religious
  affiliation?
• Are there better ways to find out what people
  really mean?