The 2021 Census data, revealing the number of people following different faiths on the Isle of Wight, has been published today (Tuesday)
Readers may remember News OnTheWight had previously reported on how 2011 Census data revealed there were 766 people claiming to worship Jedi Knights that on the Isle of Wight.
No more Jedi Knights
In the latest Census data, those following the faith of Jedi Knights seem to have either left the Island or changed their faith, as there was no record of them this time around.
The rise in the Jedi Knights phenomenon came out of the 2001 urban legend spread by chain email. It resulted in there being a claimed 390,127 Jedi Knights in England and Wales in 2001.
Large drop in Christians
The the last ten year on the Isle of Wight the number of people who say they are Christians has dropped by 16,666 down to 67,005.
Meanwhile, the number of people claiming to have no religion rose from 40,950 to 61,572.
New faiths for the Island
The Island now has two residents of the Alevi faith, where the mystical Alevi Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli are followed.
There is also one resident declaring the Thelema faith. Founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley – an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician – Thelema is the Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and religious movement (as described by Wikipedia).
Other increases
Those declaring themselves Satanists have more than tripled from five to 18.
The number of Zoroastrians has increased from two to five.
However, the number of Humanists have dropped to 37 from 49.
A rise in Animists
The number of Animists has quadrupled from one to four.
This was a new religion for us when we covered the 2011 Census – it’s the belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe.
Free Thinkers halved
The number of Free Thinkers has halved from four to two.
And the number of Universalists has gone from four to one. Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept that some ideas have universal application or applicability.
You can check out the full numbers below. If a religion is not on the list, it means there were no residents declaring it on their Census form in 2021.
| Religion | 2021 Data | 2011 Data |
|---|---|---|
| Christian | 67,005 | 83,671 |
| No religion | 61,572 | 40,950 |
| Religion not stated | 9,099 | 11,275 |
| Muslim | 593 | 524 |
| Buddhist | 499 | 459 |
| Pagan | 385 | 340 |
| Hindu | 257 | 312 |
| Spiritualist | 219 | 216 |
| Other religions | 155 | 40 |
| Jewish | 136 | 124 |
| Spiritual | 107 | 55 |
| Agnostic | 82 | 86 |
| Wicca | 61 | 40 |
| Sikh | 39 | 45 |
| Humanist | 37 | 49 |
| Atheist | 29 | 68 |
| Mixed Religion | 22 | 78 |
| Heathen | 21 | 13 |
| Druid | 19 | 25 |
| Satanism | 18 | 5 |
| Pantheism | 14 | 8 |
| Taoist | 14 | 3 |
| Own Belief System | 12 | 7 |
| Rastafarian | 11 | 16 |
| Baha'i | 9 | 11 |
| Jain | 5 | 0 |
| Zoroastrian | 5 | 2 |
| Animism | 4 | 1 |
| Witchcraft | 4 | 2 |
| Believe in God | 3 | 8 |
| Reconstructionist | 3 | 1 |
| Scientology | 3 | 2 |
| Theism | 3 | 4 |
| Alevi | 2 | 0 |
| Free Thinker | 2 | 4 |
| Deist | 2 | 6 |
| Shintoism | 2 | 4 |
| Mysticism | 1 | 1 |
| New Age | 1 | 1 |
| Occult | 1 | 0 |
| Shamanism | 1 | 6 |
| Thelemite | 1 | 0 |
| Universalist | 1 | 4 |
Nationally, Census Deputy Director, Jon Wroth-Smith said,
“The results show that there are fewer people who have a religious identity. More than 22 million people – an increase of 8 million since 2011 – said they had ‘No religion’. And for the first time in a census of England and Wales, less than half of the population reported their religion as Christian, although it remained the most common response.”
Image: samer khodeir under CC BY 2.0
