A growing number of Britons who leave Christianity are turning to paganism or other forms of spiritualism instead of converting to other major religions, a new study has found.
The survey, released by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life, questioned 2,774 adults who self-identified as having “experienced a change in their religious belief,” seeking to provide insight into “how, why, and in what direction Britons are moving between faiths, spiritualities, and non-belief.”
The researchers conclude that “Britain is not secularising in a straightforward way” but rather “undergoing a re-composition of belief, a shift away from inherited institutional structures towards personalised, practice-based, and wellbeing-oriented forms of faith.”
Forty-four percent of respondents said they left Christianity, while only 17% said they had newly become Christians. Meanwhile, 39% of respondents said they had become an atheist or agnostic.
“Britain is undergoing a profound reconfiguration of religious identity,” researchers Charlotte Littlewood and Rania Mohiuddin-Agir write in their 50-page report. “Although the 2021 census revealed a historic decline in Christian affiliation, this development does not reflect a disappearance of religion but rather a diversification and personalisation of belief.”
Rising number of Brits leaving Christianity turning to paganism https://t.co/9sy0TOOhDx
— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) December 9, 2025