Scottish Catholic Observer

Half of Scots still identify themselves as Christian despite a decline in the numbers of those affiliated with organised religion, according to the most recent government survey.

In total 47.3 percent of respondents last year said they had ‘none’ when asked about their faith, up from 40 percent in 2009, meaning that fewer Scots now profess any religious faith.

The 2014 Scottish Household Survey (SHS) results show 27.8 percent of Scots identified themselves as Church of Scotland and 14.4 percent as Catholic. This marks a statistical insignificant decline in Catholic numbers the last survey. Other Christian churches such as the Frees, Wee Frees and Episcopalians, account for a further 7.7 percent of the population and people describing themselves as Muslim made up a further 1.4 percent, according to the survey.

The survey started in 1999 and is based on a sample of the general population in private residences in Scotland. A spokesman for the Catholic Church said, while that ‘the small sample size used makes it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions, crucially, the fact that 47 percent of respondents do not identify with a church or religion doesn’t mean they have embraced secular humanism.’

“If spirituality had been measured it would likely apply to the vast majority of the population,” he added. “The challenge for the Church is to reach out to those who feel disaffected.”

According to the survey, ‘since the harmonised religion question was introduced to the SHS in 2009, there has been an upward trend in the proportion of adults reporting not having a religion, from 40 per cent in 2009 to 47 percent in 2014.’

“There has also been a corresponding decrease in the proportion reporting ‘Church of Scotland’, from 34 percent to 28 percent,” it adds.

The Rev Colin Sinclair of the Church of Scotland said. “These latest figures represent the challenges facing many established organisations in Scotland.”

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