2005 Church Census

Introduction

The English Church Census is a major piece of research work which is carried out approximately every five to ten years. The 2005 census measured attendance at churches across the UK on one Sunday, as well as collecting some limited statistics on mid-week activities. Studied variables included the church's environment (rural or urban), self declared churchmanship, the ethnicity of churchgoers, age, and frequency of attendance.

Summary findings

Many new churches were started between 1998 and 2005, but slightly more actually closed. However, the rate of closure was much slower than in previous periods studied.
The estimate of the total number of churches or congregations of all denominations in England was 37,501 in May 2005.70% of smaller churches accounted for 25% of churchgoers, but the largest 4% accounted for 25% of churchgoers.
On average, visitors made up 5% of a congregation.
The average age of a churchgoer was 45, against a population average of 40.
Women were leaving the church twice as fast as men.
The age group that showed the biggest drop in attendance between 1998 and 2005 were those aged 20-29.
Greater London was the only county where church attendance had increased (by several thousand people), entirely due to growth in Inner London.
Institutional churches declined at a faster rate than non-institutional, although the pace of decline for Anglican churches was much slower than had been seen in previous studies.
There were three growing denominational groups: Pentecostals (+34%), the smaller denominations (+9%, and Orthodox (+2%). If we group together the various independent churches, they also grew.
Although the 2005 census showed a continued decline in the churchgoing trend, the rate of decline was less that seen in the 1990s.
On 8th May 2005 an estimated 3.2 million people attended churches in England, 6.3% of the population.

Whole country level analyses

Whole country level analyses of the English Church Census are here: Church Census 2005 Country level analyses (subscriber download only)

Analyses by county

The analyses of the English Church Census at County level are here: Church Census 2005 by County (subscriber access with public preview)