Is the UK losing its religion?

Almost half of all adults in the UK say they have no religious affiliation, according to a new survey.

The decline in religious belief is most apparent in the Church of England which now claims the loyalties of just over a quarter of the population.

The number of people who say they are members of the state religion has dropped by 40% over the last 20 years, according to a poll by the National Centre for Social Research (NCSR).

The British Social Attitudes poll of more than 3,000 people showed 44% said they had no religious affiliation.

That figure rises to two-thirds of 18-24 year-olds in the UK who say they have no religious affiliation, compared with a quarter of pensioners.

The report found that 48% of people in the UK claim to belong to a religion, compared with 86% of people in the US and 92% of Italians.

The NCSR's nationwide survey will alarm churches battling against constant secularisation in British society.