Shropshire Star

Rural folk deemed ‘less religious’ than those living in towns and cities

Religion may be waning in rural Shropshire – but is still going strong in more urban areas, it was claimed today.

Published
A Christmas Tree Festival at St Chad’s Church in Shrewsbury has brought in the crowds over the festive period. But figures released today show that there is a challenge to keep religion relevant in today’s society, especially in rural areas.

A new survey shows most people in our county do not agree that religion is the basis of morality.

It has also uncovered deep religious divides between city and country, with diverse urban areas home to stronger religious sentiments.

Participants were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement “all morals are grounded in religious teachings”.

The responses were then analysed to create a model for each constituency based on the demographics of their populations.

More people disagreed with the statement than agreed in each of the five parliamentary constituencies that are in or cross over into Shropshire.

Of these constituencies, Ludlow was deemed to be the least religious – 24 per cent agreed, compared to 39 per cent who did not, with the rest undecided. This placed it 501st out of 632 UK areas.

At the other end of the scale was Telford, in 71st place, where 31 per cent agreed, and 35 per cent disagreed.

North Shropshire followed in 287th place. There, 25 per cent of people backed the idea of faith-based morality, compared to 35 per cent who did not.

Desire

The survey was carried out by publisher UnHerd and pollster FocalData, which identified a divide between urban and rural areas. Across Britain, an average of 34 per cent of people agreed with the statement while 32 per cent disagreed, with the rest undecided.

Westminster North in London came in at number one, with 41 per cent agreeing with the statement, and just 29 per cent disagreeing. The area with the least faith was Edinburgh South, where 23 per cent of residents agreed compared to 49 per cent who disagreed.

The debate over the substance of religion and faith is one that strikes a chord with Church of England vicar Reverend Matt Beer, who is in the process of setting up a new church in Telford’s Southwater.

But he said that he had found a real desire within people in the region to find a belief that can lead them through their lives.

He said: “I completely agree that religious belief is low in Shropshire. In my new role as leader of Telford Minster, I have been to many churches in our region and discovered that religious belief is low.

“Faith however is at an all time high. The basis of this in my opinion is that people living in our region are hungry for faith with substance rather than superstition or traditions. Faith is on the rise particularly amongst those in the millennial and generation Z age ranges who are looking for authentic belief in a fast changing world.

“Our culture is so focused on the accumulation of wealth, the political climate, and social media, that we have little or no hunger for false religion and superstition. What people are really looking for is faith that is alive and active rather than religion.”

The results and rankings for each constituency:

  • 71 Telford: 31% agree, 35% disagree

  • 287 North Shropshire: 25% agree, 35% disagree

  • 409 The Wrekin: 25% agree, 38% disagree

  • 445 Shrewsbury and Atcham: 25% agree, 39% disagree

  • 501 Ludlow: 24% agree, 39% disagree