A majority of the UK population (57%) believe that science and religion are incompatible, compared to 30% who do not. This relationship changes when compared to science (50%) and Christianity (36%), a particular religion.
A study by the YouGov Institute, commissioned by think tank Theos and The Faraday, found funding to support research and charity projects, with funding from the Templeton Religion Trust. The last three institutions are related to religions.
The design and implementation of the research, ‘Science and Religion: Going Beyond the Surface’, aimed at deepening the issue, was completed in 2019. For this, 5,153 academics and science communicators were interviewed.
Men were more likely than women to disagree between science and religion, 60% versus 55%.
The difference is even greater for both white (68%) and non-white (48%) groups.
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Of the total number of respondents, 46% agree that “all religions contain some element of truth”; 49% “humans are, at heart, spiritual beings”; and 64% “There are some things science can never explain”.
A report on the research contrasts the results with the statement that “‘science’ and ‘religion’ are broad, expansive and ill-defined categories, both of which are more relevant to the question of how we live together.”
The report’s authors acknowledge that there are tensions and conflicts between the two areas, but that this usually occurs in a “superficial way”. This is because, according to them, the debate over evolutionary theory, the big bang and neuroscience has taken place through “narrow lenses”. Thus, the public finds it difficult to find and explain the essence of the problem.
However, for independent observers, the explanation is simple: the survey result reflects the progress of secularization in UK society.
> with the information that Theos and from other sources.
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Jane Austen is a writer and contributor covering culture, literature, lifestyle, and society. Her work focuses on thoughtful storytelling, social trends, and the issues shaping everyday life, delivering engaging and accessible content for readers across the United Kingdom.
