Research from the thinktank Theos has identified distinct groups within the British population based on their attitudes toward Christianity and national identity. The study surveyed 1,765 adults conducted earlier this year and categorized respondents into five different groups with varying levels of Christian affiliation and religious practice.
The group most closely aligned with Christian nationalist views, termed “identity integrationists” by researchers, represented 11% of survey respondents. While 81% of this group identified as Christian, only 13% attended church weekly, slightly above the 11% population average. The group demonstrated strong opposition to immigration and Islam, with just 19% agreeing that Christian values require welcoming asylum seekers and only 30% supporting equal treatment of religions in public life.
In contrast, another group labeled “belief integrationists” comprised 13% of respondents and showed substantially higher levels of religious practice. This group included 31% who attended church weekly and 46% who prayed weekly. Members of this group expressed notably different social attitudes, with 48% agreeing that Christian values require supporting asylum seekers and 63% supporting equal treatment of religions. Notably, only 18% of belief integrationists viewed defending Britain’s Christian heritage as important to Christian identity, compared with 90% of the nationalist group.
The findings suggest that Christianity is increasingly being used as a marker of British identity amid broader concerns about immigration and cultural change, rather than reflecting a religious revival. Church leaders and theologians interviewed for the report emphasized distinctions between cultural Christianity and active religious practice. One bishop noted the difference between displaying Christian symbols at public events and the commitment required by discipleship, while a theologian stressed that Christianity is inherently multi-ethnic and multinational, incompatible with equation to any single nationality.
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