1 in 6 Young People in England are Practising Christians

“One in six young people in England are practising Christians, new figures show…..”

Headlines like this appeared in English newspapers last month.

The “shocking” new study they described was commissioned by Christian youth organisation Hope Revolution Partnership and carried out by ComRes. It was compiled last December but has not been released until now because analysts thought such high figures could not be accurate. A similar survey by Youth for Christ, however, also shows some encouraging trends.

The figures show that 21% of 11-18 year olds describe themselves as active followers of Jesus, with 13% saying they are practising Christians who attend church.

Jimmy Dale, the Church of England’s national youth evangelism officer, said his team had been “shocked” by the results, but commented, “What is really exciting for us is that there is this warmth and openness that we are seeing among young people – they are really open to faith.”

What about Scotland? Go into some churches, and they’re full of young people…..though that’s far from the general picture. But the uptake for Higher RMPS (Religious Moral and Philosophical Studies) continues to climb. The number of Christian groups in schools has also been growing.

What’s our view in CVE Scotland? We agree with the Scottish Government that children and young people in schools should be given realistic opportunities to make their own decisions on faith. The new figures may well indicate the start of a greater curiosity and willingness to investigate, rather than dismissing faith unthinkingly. If so, it’s good news for schools because it’s good news for children and young people!