LONDON: An overwhelming majority of the Britons see religion as a cause of division and tension and think it causes more harm than good.
This was revealed by a Guardian/ICM poll published on Saturday according to which non-believers outnumber believers in Britain by almost two to one.
Eighty-two per cent of those questioned said they see religion as a cause of division and tension between people compared to only sixteen per cent who disagreed.
The findings came at the end of a year in which multiculturalism and the role of different faiths in society was at the heart of a divisive political debate.
Majority of the people have no personal faith, the poll shows, with only 33 per cent of those questioned described themselves as "a religious person".
Sixty-three per cent said they are not religious, including more than half of those who described themselves as Christian.
The poll suggested, however, that in modern Britain religious observance has become a habit reserved for special occasions. Only 13 per cent claimed to visit a place of worship at least once a week, while 43 per cent never attended religious services.
As per the findings, non-Christians are the most regular attenders - 29 per cent say they attend a religious service at least weekly. Yet Christmas remains a religious festival for many people, with fifty-four per cent of Christians questioned said they intended to go to a religious service over the holiday period.
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