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Journal Article•DOI•

The Religious and Social Significance of Self-Assigned Religious Affiliation in England and Wales: Comparing Christian, Muslim and Religiously-Unaffiliated Adolescent Males.

Leslie J. Francis1, Mandy Robbins2•
University of Warwick1, Glyndŵr University2
01 Nov 2014-Research in education (Manchester University Press. Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9NR, UK. Tel: +44-161-275-2310; Fax: +44-161-274-3346; e-mail: subscriptions@manchester.ac.uk; Web site: http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk)-Vol. 92, Iss: 1, pp 32-48
TL;DR: This paper examined the religious and social significance of self-assigned religious affiliation among young people in England and Wales by investigating religious beliefs and the connection between religion and matters of public concern.
Abstract: This study examines the religious and social significance of self-assigned religious affiliation among young people in England and Wales by investigating religious beliefs and the connection between religion and matters of public concern among a sample of 547 adolescent males between 16 and 18 years of age, distinguishing between three religious groups: Christian, Muslim, and non-affiliated. First, the analysis identified eight themes concerning religious beliefs: the Bible, the Qur'an, Jesus, Muhammad, Jesus and justice, Muhammed and justice, experiencing God, and the theology of religions. Second, the analysis identified six themes concerning the connection between religion and matters of public concern: religion and personal life, religion and public life, religion and the state, social rights, the rights of women and children, and sex and morality. The data highlighted some areas of commonality and some areas of strong divergence between the three groups, demonstrating how the religious and social significance of self-assigned religious affiliation hold salience in some areas rather than others.
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Journal Article•DOI•
Growing up female and Muslim in the UK: an empirical enquiry into the distinctive religious and social values of young Muslims

[...]

Ursula McKenna1, Leslie J. Francis1•
University of Warwick1
02 Oct 2019-British Journal of Religious Education
TL;DR: In this article, the authors test the thesis that Muslim identity predicts religious and social values of young women in the UK, and find that Muslims identify with social and religious values more than non-Muslims.
Abstract: What does it mean to be a Muslim young woman in Britain today and with which religious and social values do these young women identify? This paper tests the thesis that Muslim identity predicts dis

10 citations

Cites background or methods from "The Religious and Social Significan..."

  • ...To that end, Haw (2009, 2010), Poynting (2009), Wagner et al. (2012) and Janmohamed (2016) report first-hand accounts from Muslim young women reflecting on the level of choice and reasons behind their decision whether to wear, or refrain from wearing, the veil....

    [...]

  • ...domain that women globally are increasingly fighting, and which modest dress is supposed to combat?’ On the one hand, Janmohamed (2016), Poynting (2009), Haw (2010) and Wagner et al. (2012) also found young women who had chosen to wear the veil despite opposition from their own families and communities....

    [...]

  • ...Building on the studies published by Francis (2001a, 2001b), Francis and Robbins (2014) and Francis and McKenna (2017) the present study draws on the quantitative strand of the Young People’s Attitude to Religious Diversity Project conducted within the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit…...

    [...]

  • ...domain that women globally are increasingly fighting, and which modest dress is supposed to combat?’ On the one hand, Janmohamed (2016), Poynting (2009), Haw (2010) and Wagner et al....

    [...]

Journal Article•DOI•
The Role of Language in Religious Identity Making: A Case of a Caribbean-Chinese Youth

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Allison Skerrett1•
University of Texas at Austin1
30 Jun 2017
TL;DR: The authors explored the processes of religious identity development in a Caribbean-Chinese adolescent who is from a multifaith, multilingual home, and found that the youth developed a Chris-Christian identity.
Abstract: This article explores the processes of religious identity development in a Caribbean-Chinese adolescent who is from a multifaith, multilingual home. Findings include (1) the youth developed a Chris...

9 citations

Cites background from "The Religious and Social Significan..."

  • ...…that formal knowledge of sacred texts; sustained engagement, including dialogue, in religious communities of practice; and identity agents, such as parents and religious teachers, are key to youths’ generation of religious identity (Francis & Robbins, 2014; Juzwik, 2014; Visser-Vogel et al., 2012)....

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Journal Article•DOI•
The religious and social correlates of Muslim identity: an empirical enquiry into religification among male adolescents in the UK

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Leslie J. Francis1, Ursula McKenna1•
University of Warwick1
04 Oct 2017-Oxford Review of Education
TL;DR: This paper found that Muslim identity predicts distinctive values of public and social significance among male adolescents (13-15 years of age) who participated in a survey conducted across the four nations of the United Kingdom.
Abstract: For the first time in 2001 the Census for England and Wales included a question on religious identity. The campaign for the inclusion of this question was largely pioneered by the Muslim community who argued that religious identity was a more significant indicator of social and public significance than ethnicity. This paper tests the thesis that Muslim identity predicts distinctive values of public and social significance among male adolescents (13–15 years of age) who participated in a survey conducted across the four nations of the United Kingdom. From the 11,870 participants in the survey the present analysis compares the responses of 158 male students who self-identified as Muslim with the responses of 1932 male students who self-identified as religiously unaffiliated. Comparisons are drawn across two domains defined as religiosity and as social values. The data demonstrated that for these male adolescents self-identification as Muslim encased a distinctive profile in terms both of religiosity...

8 citations

Cites background or methods from "The Religious and Social Significan..."

  • ...…English and Welsh contribution to the International Empirical Research Programme Religion and Human Rights (see van der Ven & Ziebertz, 2012, 2013), Francis and Robbins (2014) set side-by-side the responses of male students who identified themselves as Christian (N = 224), as Muslim (N = 111), or…...

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  • ...Building on the studies published by Francis (2001a, 2001b) and Francis and Robbins (2014), the aim of the present study was to draw on the quantitative strand of the Young People’s Attitude to Religious Diversity Project conducted within the Warwick Religions and Education Research Unit (see…...

    [...]

Journal Article•DOI•
Education systems, examination and failure: a case study of Kenyan teenagers in four schools

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Roy Carr-Hill1, James Mbwika, Edwina Peart2•
Institute of Education1, Goldsmiths, University of London2
04 Mar 2019-Intercultural Education
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study of the impact of instructional materials on students, and impact of high-stakes testing in Kenya on those who fail; who, because there is very limited employment, are potentially open to radicalisation.
Abstract: This article reports on a small case study of the impact of instructional materials on students, and the impact of high-stakes testing in Kenya on those who fail; who, because there is very limited employment, are potentially open to radicalisation. The setting is secondary schools in Kenya which, after the 1998 attacks by al-Quaeda and later inter- and intra-community conflicts during the 2008 election, has seen a resurgence in externally sponsored terrorism, this time from Al-Shabaab, with reports that Kenya youth were involved. The case study involved examinations of texts on government, history, politics and religion; interviews with directors, teachers and students at four secondary schools, based partly on scripts extracted from those texts. On the advice of the teachers, we included discussion of the literature the students were exposed to which addressed more directly issues of corruption, democracy, etc. We also had discussions with the Kenyan Institute for Curriculum Development.All grou...

2 citations

Cites background from "The Religious and Social Significan..."

  • ...A study by Francis and Robbins (2014) builds on this....

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References
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Book•
A technique for the measurement of attitudes

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Rensis Likert
01 Jan 1932
TL;DR: The instrument to be described here is not, however, indirect in the usual sense of the word; it does not seek responses to items apparently unrelated to the attitudes investigated, and seeks to measure prejudice in a manner less direct than is true of the usual prejudice scale.
Abstract: THIS paper describes a technique which has been developed for the measurement of race prejudice. This technique differs from most prejudice inventories in that it avoids the following assumptions: (a) that the individual can say, to his own or the investigator's satisfaction, "This is how prejudiced I am," and (b) that, to the extent that the individual can accurately assess his degree of antipathy, he will report honestly the findings of such introspection. Most sociologists would perhaps agree that race attitudes rarely reside on a completely articulate level. Even where the individual holds to intellectual or ideological convictions which would seem to leave no room for out-group antipathies, such do persevere. Thus, we may expect the number of Americans who honestly think themselves "unprejudiced" to be considerably larger than effective research would reveal. Moreover, the number who present themselves as unprejudiced probably exceeds considerably the number who honestly, though often inaccurately, see themselves in this light. Most indirect techniques for the measurement of attitudes have their rationale in observations such as these. The instrument to be described here is not, however, indirect in the usual sense of the word; it does not seek responses to items apparently unrelated to the attitudes investigated. We do, however, seek to measure prejudice in a manner less direct than is true of the usual prejudice scale. In our instrument we seek to measure anti-Negro prejudice. Persons are called upon to respond on social distance scales to whites and Negroes who occupy a variety of occupational positions. The measure of prejudice is derived through the summation of the differences in distance responses to Negroes as opposed to whites in the same occupations. Thus, for lack of a better label,

12,492 citations

"The Religious and Social Significan..." refers background in this paper

  • ...In addition to a number of demographic and background questions, the questionnaire contained 152 well-focused statements, to which students responded on a five-point Likert scale (Likert, 1932): agree strongly, agree, not certain, disagree, and disagree strongly....

    [...]

  • ...In addition to a number of demographic and background questions, the questionnaire contained 152 well-focused statements, to which students responded on a five-point Likert scale (Likert, 1932): agree strongly, agree, not certain, disagree, and disagree strongly....

    [...]

Book•
The death of Christian Britain

[...]

Callum Brown1•
University of Dundee1
01 Jan 2001

342 citations

"The Religious and Social Significan..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Some commentators have spoken confidently of The making of post-Christian Britain (Gilbert, 1980), and of The death of Christian Britain (Brown, 2001)....

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  • ...The death of Christian Britain....

    [...]

Journal Article•DOI•
The Psychology of Gender Differences in Religion: A Review of Empirical Research

[...]

Leslie J. Francis1•
Trinity College, Dublin1
01 Jan 1997-Religion
TL;DR: Within the psychology of religion two main groups of theories have been advanced to account for gender differences in religiosity: social or contextual influences which shape different responses to religion among men and women as discussed by the authors.

254 citations

"The Religious and Social Significan..." refers background or methods or result in this paper

  • ...A more successful attempt to explore the religious and social significance of selfassigned religious affiliation across the faith traditions has been demonstrated by recent analyses of the data generated by the Teenage Religion and Values Survey, conducted in the 1990s and launched by Francis (2001a). For example, Francis (2001b, 2001c) compared the responses of the young people who self-identified as Christians (13,676), Muslims (349), Sikhs (125), Hindus (125) and Jews (71), alongside those who owned no religious affiliation (13,360)....

    [...]

  • ...Findings from the British Social Attitudes Survey on the religious and social significance of self-assigned religious affiliation have also been published in a number of independent papers, including Hayes (1995), Hayes and Marangudakis (2001), Francis (2003), and Barlow, Duncan, James, and Park (2005). The majority of these studies drawing on the British Social Attitudes Survey data to explore the...

    [...]

  • ...uk/lib-publications Original citation: Francis, Leslie J. and Robbins, Mandy. (2014) The religious and social significance of selfassigned religious affiliation in England and Wales : comparing Christian, Muslim and religiously-unaffiliated adolescent males....

    [...]

  • ...Because sex differences are often highly significant within the field of social and personal correlates of religion (see Francis, 1997), the present analysis will be conducted only among the male participants in the survey....

    [...]

  • ...Findings from the British Social Attitudes Survey on the religious and social significance of self-assigned religious affiliation have also been published in a number of independent papers, including Hayes (1995), Hayes and Marangudakis (2001), Francis (2003), and Barlow, Duncan, James, and Park (2005)....

    [...]

Journal Article•DOI•
The Making of Post-Christian Britain: A History of the Secularization of Modern Society@@@Religion and Public Doctrine in Modern England

[...]

Colin Brown, Alan D. Gilbert, Maurice Cowling
01 Feb 1982-The American Historical Review

81 citations

"The Religious and Social Significan..." refers background in this paper

  • ...The growth of religious diversity: Britain from 1945: Volume 2 Issues....

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  • ...The growth of religious diversity: Britain from 1945: A reader....

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  • ...The growth of religious diversity: Britain from 1945: Volume 1 Traditions....

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  • ...Some commentators have spoken confidently of The making of post-Christian Britain (Gilbert, 1980), and of The death of Christian Britain (Brown, 2001)....

    [...]

  • ...A. Multifaith Britain and family life: Changing patterns of marriage, cohabitation and divorce among different faith groups between 1983-2005....

    [...]

Journal Article•DOI•
Religion and attitudes towards nature in Britain.

[...]

Bernadette G. Hayes1, Manussos Marangudakis2•
Queen's University Belfast1, Ulster University2
01 Mar 2001-British Journal of Sociology
TL;DR: There is no significant difference between Christians and non-Christians concerning environmental attitudes; Roman Catholics are the most sceptic toward nature among Christian denominations; and irrespective of religious identification, the two most notable and consistent factors in determining pro-dominion attitudes in Britain are educational attainment and particularly levels of scientific knowledge about the natural environment.
Abstract: Religious institutions have been identified as important conduits in shaping social attitudes toward nature and the environment. Using Lynn White's historical thesis that Judeo-Christianity has cherished the domination of nature ('dominion' belief) by humans as our frame of reference, this article examines the impact of religion, specifically Abrahamic and Judeo-Christian beliefs, on environmental attitudes in Britain. Based on the 1993 British Social Attitudes Survey, a nationally representative sample of the adult population in Britain, the multivariate results of this paper suggest that: (a) there is no significant difference between Christians and non-Christians concerning environmental attitudes; (b) Roman Catholics are the most sceptic toward nature among Christian denominations; and (c) irrespective of religious identification, the two most notable and consistent factors in determining pro-dominion attitudes in Britain are educational attainment and particularly levels of scientific knowledge about the natural environment.

76 citations

"The Religious and Social Significan..." refers background in this paper

  • ...…from the British Social Attitudes Survey on the religious and social significance of self-assigned religious affiliation have also been published in a number of independent papers, including Hayes (1995), Hayes and Marangudakis (2001), Francis (2003), and Barlow, Duncan, James, and Park (2005)....

    [...]

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07 Mar 2020
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01 Jun 2020
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Christoph Käppler, Sabine Zehnder, Aristide Peng, Taylor Christl, Christoph Morgenthaler 
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Frequently Asked Questions (19)
Q1. What are the contributions in "The religious and social significance of self-assigned religious affiliation in england and wales: comparing christian, muslim and religiously-unaffiliated adolescent males" ?

This study examines the religious and social significance of self-assigned religious affiliation among young people in England and Wales by investigating religious beliefs and the connection between religion and matters of public concern among a sample of 547 adolescent males between 16 and 18 years of age, distinguishing between three religious groups: Christian, Muslim, and non-affiliated. 

While 70% of religiously unaffiliated students agree that children should be free to discuss all moral ideas and values in school, the proportion falls to 58% among Christians, and falls further to 40% among Muslims. 

In terms of women, 68% of Muslims, 65% of Christians, and 73% of religiouslyunaffiliated students agree that the state should protect women’s rights to adequate job opportunities; 71% of Muslims, 63% of Christians, and 68% of religiously-unaffiliated students agree that the state should protect women’s rights to acquire and administer property. 

Around one in six of the Christian students believe that Muhammad motivates us to maintain and strengthen their bond with fellow human beings (16%), that Muhammad teaches us to care for everybody in need (17%), or that through Muhammad the authors learn to strive for the common good of society as a whole (15%). 

While 76% of religiously unaffiliated students agree that any form of sexual relations between adults should be their individual choice, the proportion falls to 68% among Christians, and falls further to 56% among Muslims. 

Specifically two faith traditions were isolated for analysis, namely Christian andreligious beliefs and publicly significant values. 

Because sex differences are often highly significant within the field of social andpersonal correlates of religion (see Francis, 1997), the present analysis will be conducted only among the male participants in the survey. 

In terms of the rights of children, 78% of Muslims, 79% of Christians, and 84% of religiously-unaffiliated students agree that the state should protect children from neglect or from negligent treatment; 69% of Muslims, 71% of Christians, and 80% of religiouslyunaffiliated students agree that the state should protect children’s right to engage in play and recreational activities. 

The view that politicians should not be allowed to interfere with religious communities was taken by 40% of Muslims, compared with 29% of Christians and 18% of religiously-unaffiliated students. 

41% see Jesus as working among the marginalised in their struggle for liberation, 43% see Jesus as supporting the poor by liberating them from injustice, and 52% see Jesus as guiding the oppressed to the land of justice and peace. 

The exclusivist view that people can only receive the truth in my religion or worldview is espoused by 46% of Muslim students, 23% of Christian students, and 15% of religiously-unaffiliated students. 

Between 10% and 15% of the Christian students agree with the Islamic teaching that Muhammad’s journey to and union with Allah is absolutely unique or that Muhammad was sent by Allah as his prophet in order to proclaim his message. 

The matter of theoretical interest and of practical import concerns the extent to which selfassigned religious affiliation actually serves as an authentic indicator (or predictor) of matters of religious and social concern. 

42% see Jesus as working among the marginalised in their struggle for liberation, 44% see Jesus guiding the oppressed to the land of justice and peace, and 51% see Jesus supporting the poor by liberating them from injustice. 

The religiously-unaffiliated students hold Muhammad in low regard, with just 1% believing that Muhammad was sent by Allah as his prophet in order to proclaim his message. 

79% of Muslims say that their religion or worldview has a great influence over their daily life, compared with 32% of Christians, and 13% of religiously-unaffiliated students. 

The pluralist view that all religions or worldviews are equally valuable, and they represent different ways to the truth is espoused by 39% of Muslim students, 37% of Christian students, and 22% of religiouslyunaffiliated students. 

67% of Muslims experience God’s presence in the beauty of nature, compared with 42% of Christians, and 5% of religiously-unaffiliated students. 

Table 9 demonstrates that around four out of every five of the Muslim students affirmthe close connection between their religion and their personal life.