Old trend no leap of faith

Barney Zwartz

June 22, 2012

People professing no religion are the second largest religious grouping after Catholics in the 2011 census. Photo: Reuters

PEOPLE professing no religion have moved past Anglicans to be the second-largest grouping after Catholics in the 2011 Census.

Nearly 4.8 million people said they had no religion, up 29 per cent from 2006, but the number of people not answering the question dropped by 2 per cent. This suggested that more people were claiming a religious identity (including no religion), said Monash University sociology professor Gary Bouma.

Australia at a glance

Minority religions all showed strong growth, particularly Hindus, whose numbers nearly doubled to 276,000, from 0.7 per cent to 1.3 per cent. Buddhists have risen from 2.1 per cent to 2.5 per cent, Muslims from 1.7 per cent to 2.2 per cent.

Professor Bouma said Hindu growth was due to migration, and the recent Muslim growth was due to continued migration from south Asia and a high birth rate.

”The rise in no religion continues its historic trend, even in the face of an apparent small rise in claiming a religious identity. So polarisation is increasing,” Professor Bouma said.

In five of eight states and territories, ”no religion” provides the largest group. In Victoria and Queensland it is second, behind Catholics, and in New South Wales it is third, also behind Anglicans.

An interesting development is in the groups coming next in each state and capital city. In Sydney, Muslims have passed Eastern Orthodox into fourth place with 4.7 per cent, but for NSW Islam is fifth, following the Uniting Church.

In Melbourne Eastern Orthodox is fourth (5.5 per cent) and Buddhists fifth (4 per cent), while in Victoria the Uniting Church leapfrogs the Orthodox into fourth.

In all other states and capital cities the Uniting Church is fourth. In Queensland, Presbyterians take fifth spot. In Western Australia Christians have replaced Presbyterians in fifth, but in Perth and Canberra Buddhists have displaced Presbyterians. Presbyterians keep fifth place in Tasmania.

In Adelaide Orthodox Christians are fifth, but overall the state Lutherans are fifth, as they are in the Northern Territory.