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A UK Poll: Religion Does More Harm than Good

82% of Britons believe that religious beliefs are cause of tension in the country, and two-thirds of them stated that they do not believe in religion. According to a Guardian/ICM poll published Saturday. The poll also indicates that most of those asked believed that religion causes more harm than good and regard religion as a separating element. Only 16% disagreed with this statement. The poll sampled 1,006 adults aged 18 and up across the country by telephone between December 12 and 13.

Only 33% of those asked described themselves as "a religious person," while a large majority of 63% answered that they were not religious at all, although half of them did describe themselves as Christian. Among the older population those asked were "more religious", 37% of the women and 29% of the men said they were religious.

A spokesperson for the Church of England said that the "impression of secularism in this country is overrated," he added. "You also have to bear in mind how society has changed. It is more difficult to go to church now than it was. Communities are displaced, people work longer hours - it`s harder to fit it in. It doesn`t alter the fact that the Church of England will get 1 million people in church every Sunday, which is larger than any other gathering in the country." Yet, a majority of 62% of those who participated in the poll agreed that Britain is better described as "a religious country of many faiths" than a Christian state.