Number of Britons leaving Christianity for paganism increased, report says
An illustration for the report on religious trends in Britain. Photo: iifl.org.uk
On December 9, 2025, the results of a new study by the Institute for the Study of the Impact of Faith on Life, dedicated to the changing religious landcape in the United Kingdom, became known, according to which more and more Britons are leaving Christianity for pagan and spiritualist practices. This is reported in the published report of the organization.
According to a survey of 2,774 adults, 44% of respondents abandoned Christianity, and only 17% ever returned to it. The majority – 67% – became atheists or agnostics after leaving, but almost one in ten (9%) chose pagan or occult directions. Researchers note that the United Kingdom is experiencing not the disappearance of religiosity, but its restructuring – a shift from Christian teaching to individual, non-church forms of spirituality.
Census data confirms this growth: the number of people openly calling themselves pagans increased from 57,000 in 2011 to 74,000 in 2021. In recent years, pagan and spiritualist practices have particularly spread among women over 30 and those disillusioned with traditional Christian communities. The report emphasizes that modern forms of paganism are built on rituals, nature worship, and personal mystical experience – in contrast to the Christian teaching of salvation.
The reasons for leaving Christianity are largely related to a crisis of faith: 50% of participants admitted they stopped believing in God or the supernatural, 43% doubted key Christian doctrines, 37% reported a conflict between Church teachings and personal values, and 20% reported negative experiences with religious leaders or communities. At the same time, researchers note that Christianity is also facing an influx of new believers, although many of them choose not denominations but personal forms of faith, striving to maintain a spiritual connection with Christ outside institutional structures.
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