Religion and Public Opinion in Britain Continuity and Change

Based on extensive analysis of social surveys and opinion polls conducted over recent decades, this book provides a detailed study of the social and political attitudes of religious groups in Britain. It covers a period when religion has declined in significance as a social force in Britain, with falling levels of identity, belief, attendance and of the traditional rites of passage. It looks at group attitudes based on religious affiliation, attendance and other indicators of personal engagement with faith. It details the main areas of attitudinal continuity and change in relation to party support, ideology, abortion, homosexuality and gay rights, and foreign policy. It also examines wider changes in public opinion towards the role of religion in public life, charting the decline in religious authority, a key indicator of secularisation. It provides an important 'bottom-up' perspective on the historical and contemporary linkages between religion and politics in Britain.

Ben Clements is a Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Leicester, UK.

List Of Figures
List Of Tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
Methodological Approach And Source Material
Data Sources
Measurement Of Religion
Outline Of Chapters
2. Religious Authority
Religious Change: Belonging, Behaving And Believing
Religious Authority In Britain
Confidence In Religious Institutions: Aggregate-Level Trends
Group Attitudes
Confidence In The Church And Other Institutions
Attitudes Towards The Church Of England And The Roman Catholic Church
Public Attitudes Towards The Involvement Of Religious Leaders In Politics
Aggregate-Level Trends
Group Attitudes
Conclusion
3. Religion And Party Choice
Religion And Party Support In The 1940s And 1950s
Religion And Voting Behaviour At General Elections
Religion, Parental Socialisation And Voting
Religion, Other Social Factors And Voting
Religion And Party Support In Recent Decades
Religion And Contemporary Party Choice
Conclusion
4. Religion And Ideology
Left-Right Ideology
Welfare Ideology
Libertarian-Authoritarian Ideology
Attitudes Towards The Death Penalty
Attitudes Towards Censorship
Conclusion
5. Religion And Abortion
Attitudes Towards Abortion: Opinion Polls
Attitudes Towards Abortion: Recurrent Social Surveys
The Attitudes Of The Catholic Community
Conclusion
6. Religion, Homosexuality And Gay Rights
Attitudes Towards Homosexuality
Attitudes Towards Gay Rights Issues
Attitudes Towards Same-Sex Individuals Holding Roles And Occupations
Attitudes Towards Adoption By Same-Sex Couples
Attitudes Towards Same-Sex Marriage
Conclusion
7. Religion And Foreign Policy
Attitudes Towards European Integration
Religious Groups In Britain
Religious Groups In Britain And The EU
Attitudes Towards Military Intervention
Religious Groups In The General Population
Religious Groups In The Ethnic Minority Population
Conclusion
8. Conclusion
Religion And Areas Of Continuity In Attitudes
Religion And Areas Of Change In Attitudes
Limitations Of The Study And Areas For Future Research
Notes
Appendix 1 Measures Of Religion In The Recurrent Social Surveys
Appendix 2 Measurement Of Independent Variables Used In The Multivariate Analyses
Appendix 3 Attitudes Based On Additional Questions Asking About God
List Of Survey Datasets
Bibliography