Most Britons now say they have no religion, with Anglican numbers halved since 2000

The Church of England is facing a catastrophic fall in the proportion of young adults who describe themselves as Anglican as data shows an acceleration towards a secular society in Britain.

For the first time, more than half the UK population say they have no religion, and the generation gap on religious affiliation is widening, according to the British Social Attitudes survey.

Only 3 per cent of adults under 24 describe themselves as Anglican – fewer than the 5 per cent who identify as Catholic. Almost three out of four 18- to 24-year-olds say they have no religion, a rise of nine percentage points since 2015.

Among the next age group, 25-34, only 5 per cent identify as Anglicans and 9 per cent say they are Catholic. The presence in the UK of young European workers may be a factor in the relatively high proportion of young Catholics.

Among all adults in Britain, only 15 per cent consider themselves to be Anglican, compared with almost one in three at the turn of the century, according to BSA data. Nine per cent overall identify as Catholics, 17 per cent as “other Christian” and 6 per cent say they belong to non-Christian religions.

More generally, 53 per cent of all adults describe themselves as having no religious affiliation, up from 48 per cent in 2015. The latest figure is the highest since the BSA survey began tracking religious affiliation in 1983, when 31 per cent said they had no religion.