YouGov Withdraws Flawed Poll That Fueled Claims of UK Church Revival
A survey indicating a significant increase in church attendance across parts of the United Kingdom has been withdrawn after the discovery of fraudulent respondents. The poll, conducted by YouGov in 2024, was central to the Bible Society's 'Quiet Revival' report published in 2025. This report had prompted numerous news stories about a supposed resurgence in Christianity, particularly among younger generations.
Flawed Data and Corporate Responsibility
YouGov announced on Thursday that the data sample was compromised, with "a number of respondents who we can now identify as fraudulent." The pollster's chief executive, Stephan Shakespeare, stated: "YouGov takes full responsibility for the outputs of the original 2024 research, and we apologise for what has happened." He emphasised that the Bible Society had accurately reported the supplied data and confirmed that a new survey is being conducted to obtain robust information on the topic.
The now-discredited report had claimed that 12 per cent of adults in England and Wales attended church once a month or more in 2024, which YouGov previously described as a significant increase from 8 per cent in a 2018 study. It also suggested a dramatic rise in young people's attendance, from 4 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds attending monthly in 2018 to 16 per cent in 2024.
Reactions from Involved Parties
The Bible Society expressed deep disappointment, noting it had repeatedly sought and received assurances from YouGov regarding the robustness of the methodology and the reliability of the conclusions. The organisation revealed that YouGov only confirmed at the beginning of this month that it had failed to activate key quality control technologies, undermining the results' reliability. Despite this, the Bible Society insisted there remains "a very positive story to tell," citing an unprecedented public conversation about Christianity and stories of spiritual awakening among Generation Z over the past year.
In contrast, Humanists UK chief executive Andrew Copson described the withdrawal as "both validation and vindication." He asserted: "We need to be absolutely clear: there is no revival of Christianity in Britain." Copson highlighted that Humanists UK had taken a rational, evidence-based approach, repeatedly explaining why the Bible Society's claims did not stand up.
Expert Analysis and Broader Context
David Voas, emeritus professor of social science at University College London, noted that experts had previously warned of probable flaws with the figures. He cited issues such as bogus respondents, repeat respondents, people overseas interested in rewards, and other problems that infect opt-in online polls.
Separately, Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally, in her first presidential address to the Church of England's Synod in February, referred to "a visible sign of hope in the anecdotal and statistical evidence that, over the last four years, people have been returning to church" and "early indications of a rise in attendance and participation having continued over last year."
A snapshot of the Church of England's latest annual Statistics for Mission report, showing attendances for 2025, is due to be published in the coming weeks. The most recent report, published in 2025, showed congregations had grown slightly in recent years, though numbers were still below pre-pandemic levels. There were an estimated 1.02 million regular worshippers across the Church in 2024, up from 1.01 million in 2023. The figure was 1.11 million in 2019 and 1.14 million in 2014.
