A thinktank study examining attitudes toward Christianity and British identity has identified distinct groups within the UK population, revealing a significant gap between those who invoke Christian heritage as a national symbol and those who practice Christianity regularly.
The research, conducted by Theos based on a survey of 1,765 adults in April 2026, categorized respondents into five groups. The group most closely aligned with Christian nationalist views, labeled “identity integrationists” by researchers, represented 11% of respondents. While 81% identified as Christian, only 13% attended church weekly—marginally above the 11% population average. Additionally, 31% reported praying weekly and 47% expressed interest in the Bible. This group demonstrated strong opposition to immigration and Islam, with only 19% agreeing that Christian values required supporting asylum seekers and 30% backing equal treatment of religions in public life.
In contrast, a separate group termed “belief integrationists”—comprising 13% of respondents—showed higher levels of religious practice despite similar Christian identification. Among this group, 31% attended weekly church services, 46% prayed weekly, and 62% expressed Bible interest. Significantly, 48% agreed Christian values obligated support for asylum seekers, and 63% endorsed equal religious treatment in public life. Only 18% of this group viewed defending Britain’s Christian culture as important to their Christianity, compared with 90% of the nationalist-identified group.
The findings challenge the notion that Christian nationalism reflects a religious revival. Church leaders and theologians responding to the research emphasized the distinction between Christianity as cultural identity and Christianity as embodied practice requiring personal commitment and transformation. Religious scholars noted that contemporary Christianity globally is diverse and multinational, cautioning against equating faith with any single nationality or ethnicity.
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