44% Believe Britain is Less Tolerant of Religion According to BBC Poll

A poll commissioned by BBC Religion and Ethics for the programme Are Christians Being Persecuted? (BBC One, Sunday 4 April) suggests that 44% of people surveyed believe that Britain is becoming less tolerant of religion.

The poll was carried out by ComRes and asked the question: "In your opinion, is Britain becoming more tolerant or less tolerant of religion?"

The results were: More tolerant, 39%; no change, 14%; and less tolerant, 44%.

Are Christians Being Persecuted? is a 60-minute documentary, in which Nicky Campbell investigates whether Christians are being discriminated against in modern society.

Recent press coverage has highlighted a number of cases that have placed the spotlight firmly on the treatment of the Christian faith in the UK. From the marking of Christmas with "Winter Light Festivals", to Christians making high-profile court appearances to defend their right to wear a cross at work, and nursing staff defending their right to offer to pray for patients in their care, many Christians feel that their faith – once at the heart of British society – is being pushed to the margins.

Featured in the documentary are some of the country's leading religious and secular voices including Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster; Lord Sacks, the Chief Rabbi; Michael Nazir Ali, the former Bishop of Rochester; Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty; and Polly Toynbee, president of the National Secular Society.

The poll was carried out by ComRes who interviewed 1,005 GB adults by telephone between 24 and 25 February 2010. Data was weighted to be demographically representative of the GB population. 

ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.