Religious beliefs of Jersey residents (FOI)

Request

A

For the last 10 years what is the percentage and number who have declared religious belief in the island?

B

How many with religious belief identify as 

• Christian - different denominations?
• Jews?
• Muslims?
• Buddhists?
• Hindus?
• Sikhs

C

How has the declared religious belief identified above changed over the last 50 years?

D

Of those declaring non-religious belief or other = what is the percentage and number on the island in the last ten years?

E

How has the declared non - religious belief changed over time in the last 50 years?

F

Of those declaring to be humanists, what is the percentage and number on the island in the last ten years?

G

How has the declared number of humanists changed over time in the last 50 years?

Response

Information on declared religious beliefs is not collected by the Government of Jersey. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. There is some data in the form of estimates produced from the Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle / Jersey Annual Social Survey available on the Statistics Jersey webpages. Questions on religion were asked in the 2015 Survey which can be found on page 8 of the first link below, and in 2018 on page 74 of the second link:

Jersey Annual Social Survey 2015.pdf (gov.je) 

Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey Report 2018.pdf (gov.je)

Article applied 

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.