The theory that Britain’s church-going is experiencing a remarkable resurgence due to the growing spirituality of Britain’s young people has turned out to be based on a flawed premise.
The report that underpinned claims that a “silent resurgence” was underway was retracted this week after polling agency YouGov admitted its data contained potentially fraudulent responses.
YouGov apologized and took “full responsibility” for the error, while the Bible Society, which commissioned the findings, retracted its original “Silent Revival” report.
YouGov published its findings based on two online polls conducted in 2018 and 2024 among 19,101 and 13,146 adults respectively. Their report found that the proportion of people in England and Wales who said they went to church at least once a month rose from 8% before the pandemic to 12% six years later. According to the poll, attendance among 18- to 24-year-olds quadrupled from 4% to 16%.
Data released by the Church of England since the publication of the April 2025 poll shows that, while attendances are actually recovering, they remain below pre-pandemic levels.
The YouGov poll attracted much attention and was cited as central evidence disputing the long-term trend away from the church. Evangelical churches and commentators enthusiastically promoted this story.
But even at the time, some had doubts about this data. Tim Wyatt, a journalist who specializes in religious issues, told CNN he found the report hard to believe, especially because it covered a period when churches were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’ve been writing about church attendance statistics for 10 years, and this was such an unusual outlier that it immediately raised suspicions,” Wyatt, who writes the newsletter Critical Friend, told CNN.
Mr Wyatt said it was out of sync with other data, such as the UK Social Attitudes Survey, which shows long-term trends in church attendance.
Some church leaders also warned that reports of revivals risked being used to promote a type of Christian nationalism that is at odds with the message of Christ.
Despite the flaws in the YouGov research, there is growing concern in some UK churches.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that the Catholic Church in the United States is seeing a rise in converts, and France is seeing a surge in adult baptisms.
Mr Wyatt claimed there had been a “small but measurable increase” in religiosity and attendance in the UK, but said the conversation on the subject had been “derailed” by “rigged polls”.
YouGov said its findings “now include a large number of respondents who can be identified as fraudulent”, adding that the survey targeted hard-to-reach groups such as ethnic minorities and young people, making it more vulnerable to fraudulent or questionable responses.
“YouGov takes full responsibility for the original 2024 findings and apologizes for what happened,” CEO Stephen Shakespeare said. “We would like to emphasize that Bible Society always accurately and responsibly reports the data it provides.”
He said he would conduct another investigation with the Bible Society to seek more “hard data.”
In a statement, the Bible Society said it was “deeply disappointed” by the incident, but insisted the “big picture” from other research showed “young people are increasingly engaged in their faith compared to older generations.”
