YouGov plans to conduct a fresh round of research on church attendance in England and Wales later this year, revisiting its widely discussed “quiet revival” findings amid mounting scrutiny from academics and polling specialists.
The original conclusions appeared in April 2025 in a Bible Society report titled “The Quiet Revival.” Drawing on two YouGov surveys, the study reported that the share of adults in England and Wales who both identify as Christian and attend church at least once a month increased from 8% in 2018 to 12% in 2024.
The reported rise was especially pronounced among 18- to 24-year-olds, whose monthly attendance was said to have climbed from 4% to 16%. More than one-fifth of young men in that age group were described as attending church monthly, while attendance among young women reportedly rose from 4% to 12%.
Researchers also found that roughly one-third of young adults who do not currently attend church said they would consider going if invited by a friend. About a quarter of respondents in that age bracket expressed interest in learning more about the Bible, the highest level recorded among any age group surveyed.
At the time of publication, Bible Society co-author Rhiannon McAleer characterized the results as “striking,” arguing they challenged the narrative that Christianity in England and Wales was in irreversible decline.
Since then, however, sociologists and survey experts have questioned the conclusions, contending that they diverge from longer-running national datasets.
Critics point in particular to the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), which uses random probability sampling and is widely regarded as a gold-standard study.
According to the latest BSA findings, the percentage of adults identifying as Christian and attending church at least monthly declined from 12% in 2018 to 9% in 2024. Among young adults, monthly attendance appears to hover between 6% and 7%, remaining below levels observed before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pew Research Center has also weighed in, publishing an analysis that questioned whether reports of a British Christian resurgence rest on the strongest available evidence.
Pew noted that many revival claims are derived from “opt-in” online surveys, which can yield different outcomes than large-scale, randomly sampled household surveys.
Citing data from the UK Labour Force Survey, Pew reported that overall Christian identification among adults continued to fall, dropping from 54% in 2018 to 44% by the summer of 2025. Among 18- to 34-year-olds, fewer than 28% now identify as Christian, down from 37% in 2018.
Based on its review, Pew concluded that the most reliable data do not substantiate claims of a widespread revival among young adults.
Bible Society has defended its conclusions. A spokesman recently said the report “is based on a high-quality YouGov survey which uses a tried and trusted methodology.”
The organization also pointed to Pew’s broader global research, asserting that it identified levels of religiosity comparable to, or slightly exceeding, those reflected in YouGov’s findings.
