Half of Britain does not believe in God

 London : Is there a God or is after life real ?

Women are much more likely to believe so than men, researchers have found.

A new study of more than 9,000 British people in their 40s, published by UCL Institute of Education (IOE), shows that 60% of the women but only 35% of the men believe in life after death.

More than half (54%) of the men surveyed said they were atheists or agnostics, compared to only a third (34%) of the women.

There was also a gender split among atheists.

Men were much more likely to be definite that death is the end — 63% against 36% of women.

UCL scientists said “Next week another significant step on the road to gender equality will be taken with the consecration of the Rev Libby Lane as the first female bishop to be appointed by the Church of England. It is the huge disparity in the proportion of men and women who say they believe in God and life after death”.

Almost half of those surveyed did not identify with any religion.

Most of the remainder said they had a Christian background. A small number of respondents described themselves as Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim or Sikh.

Professor David Voas, who analysed the survey responses, commented “Among believers, women are also much more likely to be definite than men, and among non-believers, men are much more likely to be definite than women”.

For example, not only are men twice as likely as women to say that God does not exist, but male atheists are far more likely than female atheists to say that they definitely do not believe in live after death (63% versus 36%).

“Belief — or disbelief — in God and in life after death do not always go together,” Professor Voas explained. “A quarter of those who said they were agnostic also said they believe in life after death. However, nearly a third of the people who said that they believe in God — despite occasional doubts — do not believe in an after-life”.

Professor Voas also points to the very high level of belief in both God and life after death among Muslims.

Almost nine in ten (88%) of the small number of Muslims in this survey — only 82 were interviewed — said they knew God really exists and had no doubts about it.

“A high proportion (71%) of those who described themselves as ‘evangelical’ — Baptists and certain other Christians were included in this category — also had no doubts about God’s existence,” he said. “However, only 33% of those who identified themselves as Roman Catholics had no doubts. And the figure for those affiliated with ‘mainline’ Christian denominations — Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and United Reformed Church — was even smaller. Only 16% of them said they had no doubts that God exists”.

Source : The Times Of India