People who identify as nonreligious matter to public life because the services people share have to take account of different beliefs and forms of belonging. A census can tell planners how many residents report no religious affiliation. A separate question is needed to find out whether those residents hold spiritual beliefs or want someone from a particular tradition to support them. The distinction is especially clear in hospitals, where patients may need space to pray, talk about a loss or receive care that fits a nonreligious worldview. ONS census bulletin for England and Wales Pew’s survey of belief in God or a higher power NHS England chaplaincy guidelines
What a census counts when someone says “no religion”
In the 2021 census of England and Wales, 37.2 percent of the population, or 22.2 million people, were recorded as having no religion, up from 25.2 percent in 2011. The Office for National Statistics explains that its voluntary question measures affiliation, the religion a person connects with or identifies with. A person who left the question blank was counted separately from someone who selected “No religion.” Both details matter when using the figures. The result records how people responded to a particular question about identity. It supplies limited information about their practices or convictions. ONS census bulletin for England and Wales
A manager could use the census as one input when assessing who lives in the area a service covers. The figure can help avoid designing a service around a single presumed affiliation. Local figures and conversations with people who use the service can then answer different questions. Even a neighborhood with a large population reporting no religion may include people who want humanist pastoral care, people who would speak with any trained listener and people who would decline a visit. ONS census bulletin for England and Wales NHS England chaplaincy guidelines
Affiliation and belief answer different questions
Pew Research Center’s 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study classified 29 percent of U.S. adults as religiously unaffiliated. In Pew’s surveys this category includes people who choose atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” as their religious identity. Atheism generally refers to lack of belief in gods or the view that there are none. Agnosticism concerns uncertainty or limits on knowledge about their existence. “Nothing in particular” gives people a way to report that they have no specific affiliation without choosing either of those descriptions. Pew’s 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study Pew’s definition of religiously unaffiliated adults
The U.S. percentage comes from a survey of adults. The England and Wales percentage comes from a census of the population and uses a different set of response categories. A direct subtraction would mix differences in population, question design and year. Each figure is most informative when read with the definition and the setting in which it was collected. ONS census bulletin for England and Wales Pew’s 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study Pew’s definition of religiously unaffiliated adults
A separate Pew survey published in 2024 asked about belief in God or a higher power. In that survey, 83 percent of respondents identifying with “nothing in particular” and 67 percent of those identifying as agnostic said they believed in God or some higher power. Pew’s options distinguish belief in God as described in the Bible from belief in another higher power or spiritual force. The results illustrate why affiliation and belief are measured separately. An institution making decisions about individual care needs a person’s own account of what matters to them. Pew’s survey of belief in God or a higher power NHS England chaplaincy guidelines
What the distinction means in a hospital
NHS England uses chaplaincy for pastoral, spiritual or religious care available regardless of religion or belief. Its guidelines explicitly include people who hold nonreligious beliefs and people who have no stated religion or belief. This affects the questions a service can ask. A patient might want to discuss what a serious illness means for their family, prefer to speak with a humanist pastoral carer or request contact with a religious leader. The service needs a way to hear those preferences and respond to them. NHS England chaplaincy guidelines
Leeds Teaching Hospitals describes a team that includes nonreligious and humanist pastoral carers alongside providers from several faiths. King’s College Hospital describes another arrangement. Its chaplains can contact the Humanist Association or community faith leaders, and the hospital has a quiet sanctuary alongside separate spaces for worship. Volunteers visit with consent and are expected to listen without promoting their own beliefs. These details show how a service can respect the person’s choice through staffing, referrals and the way a visit is offered. Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ pastoral care service King’s College Hospital chaplaincy
Those choices are distinct from a patient’s willingness to identify with a category on a form. A person can want privacy, quiet or a conversation without using a particular label. A patient with a religious affiliation may likewise prefer a listening visit, a particular rite or no visit at all. The provision of different kinds of support gives people a chance to decide what is appropriate for them at that moment. NHS England chaplaincy guidelines King’s College Hospital chaplaincy
Conclusion
“No religion” identifies a group in a census or survey. It encompasses different beliefs and gives only a starting point for understanding what people need. Hospital chaplaincy shows the practical consequence. Institutions can make space for religious observance and nonreligious pastoral support by offering distinct choices and letting people decide which, if any, they want. ONS census bulletin for England and Wales Pew’s survey of belief in God or a higher power NHS England chaplaincy guidelines Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ pastoral care service
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