by Donna Birrell, Premier
The evangelical church in the UK is younger, more ethnically diverse and significantly larger than many people assume, according to new research by the Evangelical Alliance (EA).
Its report, Understanding UK Evangelicals: who are they? is said to be the most comprehensive attempt in a generation to define and measure evangelical Christianity across the United Kingdom.
The survey of 8,407 adults estimates that around 5.5 million people in the UK are evangelical Christians, meaning they both identify as an evangelical and share evangelical beliefs. This is just under 8% of the population. These evangelicals make up around two-thirds of practising Christians in the UK.
Researchers found that young adults are the most likely age group to be evangelical, with more than 40% under the age of 35. Meanwhile, 30% of evangelicals are from ethnic minority backgrounds and 17.6% of UK adults either identify as evangelical or hold evangelical beliefs.
7.2% of respondents said they are practising Christians – attending church at least monthly and praying and reading the Bible at least weekly. 12% of those surveyed said they attend church at least once a month.
Gavin Calver, CEO of the EA, said: “The evangelical church in the UK is thriving: it’s young, diverse, and growing. This research shows that evangelicals make up almost two-thirds of practising Christians in the UK and remain at the heart of church life every Sunday. It gives us real confidence that evangelicals will continue to shape the future of the church, and that the Evangelical Alliance will keep standing strong and speaking up on behalf of this vibrant movement.”