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Churches make neighbourhoods ‘a better place to live’

31 January 2006

More than eight out of 10 people in Britain go into a church or place of worship each year and six in 10 believe a place of worship makes their neighbourhood a better place to live, according to the detailed findings of an Opinion Research Business attitude survey, published today. The results back up similar findings in 2003.

In the survey, sponsored by the Archbishops’ Council and English Heritage:

• 86% had been into a church building in the previous year – often for several different purposes.
•  58 per cent agreed with the statement ‘places of worship make our neighbourhood a better place to live’ while 11 per cent disagreed.
• 72 per cent agreed with the statement ‘a place of worship is an important part of the local community’ while 11 per cent disagreed.
• 72 per cent agreed with the statement ‘places of worship provide valuable social and community facilities’ while 11 per cent disagreed.
• Among respondents who claimed no religious allegiance, 38 per cent, 46 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively, agreed with the statements.

The importance of churches to local communities is further supported in the survey by the desire of respondents for even more from their places of worship:

• 63 per cent agreed with the statement ‘places of worship should be more actively involved in our local community’ while 13 per cent disagreed.
• 69 per cent agreed with the statement ‘places of worship should be more accessible to the local community’ while 8 per cent disagreed.

“These responses show that churches, far from being museum pieces, are living breathing communities reaching out to churchgoers and non-churchgoers, central to their neighbourhoods and making possible much needed and welcomed local facilities of all kinds,” said the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, Bishop of London and chair of the Church Heritage Forum.

“The Church of England maintains almost half the Grade 1 listed buildings in England, spending £120 million a year on church repairs. The state, through English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, provides £26 million for repairs to listed church buildings and cathedrals. This research clearly supports the Church’s call for more state funding for the maintenance of not merely the country’s architectural heritage but a central plank of its social cohesion.”

Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “This survey provides further concrete proof of what we have always strongly felt - our places of worship are loved and cherished by the vast majority of people, believers and non-believers alike. It is tremendously good news that nearly half of the people surveyed with no religious allegiance whatsoever still believe that places of worship are an important part of their local community. These figures show the value of our churches and the case for public money if these precious buildings are to be kept in good condition. In May this year English Heritage will be spearheading a campaign, Inspired!, to achieve exactly that.”

It is not just the Church that believes the state should pay more towards the upkeep of churches.

• Asked who they thought ‘is primarily’ responsible for providing money to maintain churches and chapels, 38 per cent suggested central taxation, local taxation, the National Lottery or English Heritage.
• Asked who ‘should be primarily’ responsible, the respondents naming those four sources rose to 46 per cent.
• Among respondents who claimed no religious allegiance, 41 per cent named these four sources.
• In the 2003 ORB survey, 42 per cent thought local churches should receive funding from the state.

Only 14 per cent of those questioned had not attended a church or place of worship in the last year, the same proportion as in the 2003 ORB survey, further supporting the importance of such buildings to communities. Many had been for several different purposes.

• 20 per cent said they had entered a church ‘to seek a quiet space’
• 23 per cent said they were walking past and ‘felt the need to go in’
• 23 per cent had been to a church through their children’s school
• 30 per cent for a concert or theatrical performance
• 38 per cent for a social or community event

All the above show a marked increase on the figures recorded in 2003

• 31 per cent had been to a normal Sunday service
• 11 per cent had been to a weekday service
• 56 per cent had been to a church funeral
• 51 per cent to a wedding
• 47 per cent a memorial service
• 41 per cent had attended a baptism
• Christmas attendance was cited by 43 per cent of respondents
• Easter by 31 per cent
• a Service of Remembrance by 27 per cent
• and Harvest Festivals by 24 per cent.

ORB surveyed 1019 adults aged 18 and over in Great Britain by a random telephone poll between November 4 and 6, 2005, and the results have been weighted to be representative of all adults.

 

Notes

Results of the 2005 ORB survey are attached below. Detailed survey results for attitudes to church buildings and reasons for visiting.

In a similar survey in 2003, ORB found that four out of 10 Britons think that local churches should receive funding from the State; that churches are used and valued far more widely than by their regular worshipping congregations alone; that 86 per cent of adults in Great Britain have been to a church or place of worship at least once in the previous year for reasons including finding a quiet space, weddings, baptisms and funerals and for community purposes, as well as for regular services of worship.

Results of the 2003 survey.

ORB Attitudes towards the Church survey 2005

 

 

How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Strongly           Neither               Strongly   Don't

Agree   Agree    nor   Disagree  disagree  know

  %          %         %           %           %          %

Places of worship make our neighbourhood a better place to live      

    22      36           28           8           3           2

Places of worship should be more actively involved in our local community

    26      37           20            9           4           2

Places of worship should be more accessible to our local community

    26     43             22            6           2           2

Place of worship reflect our historic legacy

    25     43             18            9           3           3

A place of worship is an important part of the local community  

    28     44             16            8           3           1

Places of worship provide valuable social and community facilities 

    23      49             15            9           2           2

Places of worship provide suitable venues for cultural and social activities

such  as concerts and plays

   23      51              11            9          3           2

     

 

Which one of the following do you think is primarily responsible for providing money to maintain churches and chapels?    

%

35           Regular worshippers

13           Voluntary support

13           Central taxation (ie national government)

8             Local taxation

11           The National Lottery

6             English Heritage

6             Other

8             Don’t know

 

And who do you think should be responsible for providing that money?

%

35           Regular worshippers

9             Voluntary support

18           Central taxation (ie national government)

8             Local taxation

13           The National Lottery

7             English Heritage

3             Other

7             Don’t know

 

Thinking about the last year, have you attended a church/ place of worship on any of these occasions? 

%

56              Funeral

47              Memorial service

51              Wedding

41             Christening / baptism

17              First communion

16              Confirmation

43              Christmas

31              Easter

24              Harvest festival

27              Service of Remembrance

16              Mothering Sunday

31              Normal Sunday service

11              Normal weekday service

20              To seek a quiet space

23              Walking past and I felt the need to go in

23              Through my children’s school

30              For a concert or theatrical performance

38              Social or community events

8                Other

14              None of these

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