Nearly a third of people raised as Christians in Britain no longer identify with the religion in adulthood, according to a major international study, highlighting a steady decline in adherence to the traditional faith across the country. A Pew Research Center analysis found that about 30 percent of the UK population grew up in Protestant or Catholic homes but later abandoned their religious identity. The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,017 people across the UK. The data shows a sharp difference between childhood affiliation and adult belief. While 51 percent of respondents said they were raised Protestant, only 31 percent still belong to the denomination. About 23 percent said they were raised Protestant but later left, while only 3 percent converted and joined. A similar tendency is visible in Catholic religion also. Although 16 percent of those surveyed said they had become Catholic, only 11 percent remained in the faith. Seven percent reported leaving Catholicism, while only 1 percent said they joined it without growing up in it. The study also sheds light on what happens after people leave organized religion. Of former Protestants in Britain, 87 percent now identify as non-believers, while 4 percent have become Catholic and 8 percent have joined another religion. Of those who became Catholic and later left, 71 percent became non-believers, 14 percent switched to Protestantism and another 14 percent switched to a different religion. The report says that the number of people changing religion is relatively small. Researchers have described the broader trend as “religious change”, a term used to reflect the range of ways people move away from belief systems or move between them. The Pew Research Center said, “We use this term rather than ‘conversion’ because conversion can take place in many directions, ranging from growing up in a religion to becoming unaffiliated, and may not involve a formal initiation process.” This pattern is not limited to Britain. Of the 24 countries analyzed in the study, more people left Catholicism than joined in 21 countries. Hungary was the only country where the trend was reversed. “Former Protestants form a large part of the population in many countries around the world. In nine of the 24 countries we analysed, this group makes up 10 per cent or more of the population,” The Times (UK) reported. While Protestantism has gained popularity in some parts of the world, particularly Latin America, the opposite trend has been observed in Britain. “Most of the countries where Protestantism has made net gains are in Latin America,” Pew said. “Most Brazilians who have converted to Protestantism are former Catholics. Sweden, the UK and Germany are among the countries with the largest net losses.”Public statistics reflect this change in confidence. Actor James McAvoy, who said he was raised by his grandparents who were “very good church-going Catholics” and attended church regularly, told The Times (UK) that he stopped going at the age of 16, saying: “The moment I was allowed to make my own choice, I stopped going to church.” The findings also cast doubt on claims of a widespread religious revival among young people. The Times (UK) noted that the Bible Society retracted a report suggesting an increase in church attendance among Gen Z after the underlying YouGov data was found to be flawed.