by Sebastian Milbank, The Critic
For a while Christians have been talking about something called the “quiet revival” — the idea, trumpeted in research commissioned by the Bible Society, and carried out by YouGov, that young people were returning to the pews. The number seemed dramatic: an increase from 4 per cent to 16 per cent of 18-24 year olds regularly attending a church.
Right from the start, there was justified skepticism. It didn’t fit any prior statistical models, and many experts expressed doubt. But the bigger problem was that it was “quiet”. If four times as many young people were really going to church, people would notice. Priests would shout it from the pulpit and young people would discuss it on social media. Teachers would notice it, and public figures would see it in their own social circles.
In private conversations, many friends expressed doubts. On the one hand, we all know lots of young people who have recently converted or started attending church, and for those in the social circles where the “vibe shift” feels most embedded, and inclusive of faith, it was possible to argue yourself into the idea that a massive Christian revival was just round the corner. But we were also intensely aware of how little the cultural zeitgeist had really tipped towards religion in practice.
So the revelation, after months of growing criticism, that the polling behind the quiet revival was deeply flawed, was disappointing but scarcely a surprise to many who wished it were true. The Bible Society, it should be emphasised, did nothing wrong. It was the polling company YouGov which offered up faulty data.