The death of traditional funerals

In light of her recent report, Ashes to Ashes, Marianne Rozario looks at the changing ways we mark death in society. 20/04/2023

How we mark death is changing.

That’s one of the headlines from our recent Theos report Ashes to Ashes on attitudes towards dying, death, and the afterlife in the UK – and if how we understand death says anything at all about what we think of life, the shift should be understood as a key indicator of important social changes under the bonnet of British society and culture.

Most obviously, traditional funeral services are in decline. The classic image of a church funeral is increasingly unrepresentative of British funeral practices on the ground. The latest data suggests that the Church of England conducts funerals for 23% of deaths, but even this share is decreasing. Statisticians report a sharp decline in Christian funerals from 1999 to 2019; the Church of England observed a 50% decline over the same period and other Christian denominations echo a similar pattern.[1]

According to research by the Co–op in 2019, only 1 in 10 Brits now want a religious funeral of any kind.

In place of a single (and so, shared) understanding of what a funeral should look like, a range of expressions – often reflecting the unique personality, values, and preferences of the deceased – have sprung up. Today, most funerals are led by independent civil celebrants – a trend that looks likely to continue as demand for religious services declines.[2] As one secular celebrant interviewed as part of our research commented:

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