Is Church Attendance Really Rising? A Closer Look at the “Quiet Revival”

This week, headlines and social media posts have been sharing some encouraging statistics: “Church attendance up 50% in six years” and “16% of 18–24-year-olds now attend church monthly.” These figures come from the Bible Society’s new Quiet Revival report, based on YouGov data collected between 2018 and 2024.

For many of us who care deeply about the life and future of the Church, this feels like hopeful news. But it’s worth pausing to explore what these numbers really tell us—and what they might not.

What’s Being Reported?

 According to the Bible Society’s analysis:

• Monthly church attendance among UK adults has gone from 8% in 2018 to 12% in 2024, described as a 50% increase.

• Among 18–24-year-olds, the rise is even more dramatic—from 4% to 16% in the same period.

• The overall number of UK adults attending church regularly is estimated at 8.1 million.

At first glance, this paints a very positive picture. But as with any statistics, it’s helpful to look at them alongside wider data and consider how they’ve been gathered.

About the Sample

The Quiet Revival report draws on YouGov polling data gathered over six years (2018–2024), involving over 30,000 participants in total across multiple surveys. Each survey typically included around 3,000 respondents, designed to reflect the UK’s adult population.

That’s a strong base for tracking changes over time, but as with all survey-based research, a few things are worth noting:

• The data relies on self-reported attendance, which can sometimes be overestimated.

• Percentage shifts can appear more dramatic when scaled to national figures (e.g., a 4-point increase = “50% growth”).

• It's not always clear what respondents understand by ‘church attendance’—it may include things like life events, occasional visits, or even online projects. All of these matter, but they reflect different kinds of engagement.

These are not flaws, but natural limitations of survey research. They simply remind us to read the findings alongside local experience, denominational reports, and ongoing trends in church life.

Looking at the Bigger Picture

A Relative Increase, Not a Dramatic Turnaround

It’s true that moving from 8% to 12% is a 50% relative increase. That’s 12% of the population. Encouraging, but still a small proportion of the UK public.

For context, church attendance across the UK has been on a steady downward trajectory for decades, and this doesn’t yet suggest a change to that. Many denominations are only just beginning to recover from the sharp drops during the pandemic. So, while these numbers suggest growth compared to 2021 or 2018, they don’t necessarily indicate a full reversal of longer-term trends.

The 16% of Young Adults 

Perhaps the most striking claim is that 16% of 18–24-year-olds attend church monthly. That would mean nearly a million young adults are in church regularly—a remarkable number if accurate. This could reflect genuine and encouraging growth in younger demographics. But it also raises questions:

• What counts as “church attendance”? Does it include online church, youth groups, conferences, or occasional drop-ins? What role does the Fresh Expressions, or other pioneering movements play in this?

• Is this consistent with data from local churches or denominations?

In other words, it’s possible that people are engaging in different ways, and the definition of “attendance” may be broader than usual. That doesn’t make the numbers untrue, but it does affect how we interpret them.

Comparing to Other Sources

While the Bible Society’s findings are valuable, they don’t exist in a vacuum. For instance:

• The Church of England’s 2022 statistics show Sunday attendance at 654,000, still below pre-pandemic levels (around 854,000 in 2019).

• Many mainline denominations continue to report long-term decline, though some newer, independent, and ethnically diverse congregations are seeing different trends.

• It’s also worth comparing this with research like Talking Jesus 2022 or the 2021 Census, which paint a more gradual but still complex picture of faith and church involvement in the UK

So, we may be seeing recovery, and even some fresh growth—but it's likely happening unevenly, and often outside traditional structures. Wider research and some evidence suggest that Pentecostal and Catholic churches, particularly in urban and ethnically diverse communities, may be playing a key role in this younger demographic’s engagement.

What Can We Take From This?

There is a real sense of encouragement in this report. Green shoots are appearing, particularly among younger adults, ethnically diverse communities, and those involved in newer, more dynamic expressions of church. But it’s also wise to hold this data with care. There’s always a risk of overstating trends or assuming short-term changes reflect a long-term revival.

Rather than rushing to headlines, we might say that there are signs of new energy and openness, especially among younger generations but church attendance in the UK is still relatively low overall, and the picture is complex. Let’s be encouraged—but also be realistic about the health of the church and the task still to be done.

The Quiet Revival report offers an important and hopeful glimpse into some surprising trends in the UK church landscape. But rather than jumping to conclusions, this may be a moment to listen deeply, learn together, and reflect honestly on how the Church can respond to a changing world. There’s no need to downplay the good news—but we also don’t need to rush into triumphalism. As always, faithfulness, wisdom, and attentiveness will serve us better than jumping to conclusions.