Census 2021: Fewer residents of Wigan identify as Christian

Humanists UK ran campaigns before censuses in 2011 and 2021 encouraging non-religious people to select "no religion".

It said the figures should be a "wake-up call" for reconsidering the role religion has in society.

Office for National Statistics data from the 2021 census shows 63 per cent of people in Wigan selected Christianity as their religion, down from 78 per cent a decade before.

About 30 per cent selected "no religion" last year, a leap from 15 per cent in 2011. Of these, 84 said they were agnostic, while 42 selected atheism.

This follows trends across England and Wales where 46 per cent of the population described themselves as Christian in the recent census, down from 59 per cent a decade earlier. It is the first time the proportion has dropped below half.

The percentage of people saying they had no religion jumped from a quarter (25 per cent) in 2011 to over a third (37 per cent) last year.

Archbishop of York, The Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, said: "It’s not a great surprise that the census shows fewer people in this country identifying as Christian than in the past, but it still throws down a challenge to us not only to trust that God will build his kingdom on Earth but also to play our part in making Christ known."

Nationally, there were increases in the proportion of people describing themselves as Muslim, with 6.5 per cent selecting the religion last year, up from 4.9 per cent. More people also identified as Hindu, increasing from 1.5 per cent in 2011 to 1.7 per cent in 2021.

The figures show more people in Wigan identify as Muslim, with 4,155 last year, up from 2,162 in 2011.

Additionally, 995 residents said they were Hindu, up from 682 10 years ago. There were 831 Buddhists and 84 residents who selected Judaism.

Of the other options, 362 said they were pagans and 26 said they practice Heathenism.

The National Secular Society said the figures show aspects of society, such as daily prayers and worship in parliament and schools, are “all inappropriate, hopelessly outdated and fail to reflect the country we actually live in”.