The Bible Society has acknowledged that data underpinning its widely cited “Quiet Revival” report is flawed, reversing its earlier confidence in the findings after errors were identified in the underlying survey.
The organization had previously defended the report—published in April 2025 by the Bible Society of England and Wales—which suggested a sharp rise in church attendance among young adults, with monthly participation among 18- to 24-year-olds increasing from 4% in 2018 to 16% in 2024. As recently as February, a senior research leader told Christian Daily International the methodology was sound and the data “robust,” citing assurances from research partner YouGov.
In a statement released March 26, however, Chief Executive Paul Williams said the data can no longer be considered reliable after YouGov acknowledged faults in the 2024 survey sample.
“Earlier this month, YouGov informed the Bible Society that the 2024 survey sample on which our report The Quiet Revival was based was faulty, and it can no longer be regarded as a reliable source of information about the spiritual landscape in Britain,” Williams said.
“We recognize that this news may feel discouraging, and we share that sense of disappointment.”
Williams said the Bible Society had repeatedly sought and received assurances from YouGov regarding both the robustness of the methodology and the reliability of the report’s conclusions over a 15-month period.
YouGov said in early March that it had failed to activate key quality control technologies designed to protect the sample from a wide range of errors, undermining the reliability of the results, Williams said.
“We are therefore deeply disappointed that YouGov not only made an error but also discovered it only recently. We are grateful that YouGov’s Chief Executive Officer, Stephan Shakespeare, has personally apologized.”
Shakespeare’s apology was included in the Bible Society’s statement.
“YouGov takes full responsibility for the outputs of the original 2024 research, and we apologize for what has happened,” Shakespeare said. “We would like to stress that the Bible Society has at all times accurately and responsibly reported the data we supplied to them.”
The Bible Society said it originally commissioned the research to better understand “what is truly happening on the ground,” Williams said.
“We would also stress that YouGov’s error does not mean that all of the findings were wrong—it means that we cannot reliably support those findings on the basis of this survey,” he added.
Despite the setback, Williams said there is still “a very positive story to tell.”
“Over the past year, we have seen an unprecedented public conversation about Christianity, with countless stories of a spiritual awakening among Gen Z, alongside greatly increased Bible sales in the UK, growing numbers of adult baptisms and confirmations, and increased attendance at evangelism courses,” he said.
“This wider picture is also supported by a number of other surveys, based on probability sampling, which point to increased engagement in faith among young adults compared to older generations.”
Both the Ipsos Mori 2023 Global Religion Survey and the Bible Society’s analysis of recent Pew Research Center data on spirituality around the world suggest that young adults in the UK are more likely to pray and attend worship services than older generations.
“While religious identity overall is shifting from ‘Christian’ to ‘no religion,’ Christianity in Britain appears to be moving from a declining nominal faith to a more committed and active one, as cultural shifts—especially among younger people—encourage a more proactive search for identity, meaning, and purpose,” Williams said.
The Bible Society has compiled this “intriguing evidence” in a new report, The Quiet Revival One Year On: What’s the Story?
“To better understand this changing landscape, we are committed to a broad program of research exploring attitudes toward the Bible and faith using a range of methodologies,” Williams said.
Meanwhile, the Bible Society plans to repeat the YouGov survey later in 2026, nearly two years after the original, “having ensured the appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure reliable results.”
“We don’t yet know what these findings will reveal, but we remain committed to rigorously reporting on the state of spirituality in England and Wales today,” Williams said.
