Adherence to faith in the UK is in decline. What does that say about Britain?

If the Church of England was still "the Conservative party at prayer", the latest British Social Attitudes survey would make grim reading for prime minister Theresa May. It records that only 15 per cent of Britons now consider themselves to be Anglicans, down from 40 per cent in 1983. For those under 24, the figure is far worse: a mere 3 per cent are signed up to the established church of which the Queen is the supreme governor.

Anglicanism is no longer synonymous with Toryism, so Mrs May need not add this decline to her already long list of things to worry about. But it is a remarkable phenomenon, and part of a broader trend towards irreligiosity in the UK. An overall majority (53 per cent) now declare they have no faith at all. Not only is that a new record for the general population, but that figure rises to 71 per cent among 18 to 24 year olds.

Paul Bayes, the Bishop of Liverpool, has been quoted as saying: “In this modern world people are more willing to be honest and say they have ‘no religion’ rather than casually saying they are ‘C of E’. This honesty is welcome." But that seems to be putting a distinctly euphemistic gloss on a report that suggests Anglicanism in Britain faces if not extinction, then at least reduction to a tiny rump; a sect of insignificant size when once it was a pillar of empire.

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Whatever one thinks of the Anglican faith, the prospect of its adherents almost vanishing is sad in terms of the cultural role the Church of England has played in English and British life. What happens to all those beautiful medieval buildings, the wonderful language and stirring hymns? If no one visits the cathedrals or sings the hymns out of belief, they can only survive as monuments to the past, studied in much the same way one learns about other past civilizations.

Secondly, why has it happened? It may well be something to do with Anglicanism being what the atheist philosopher Daniel Dennett calls a "low cost" religion. It doesn't demand much of its followers, which means it's not as much a part of their lives and isn't as good at holding on to them.

But thirdly, and more importantly, what does it say about how the UK, and similar countries, understand the rest of the world, which if anything is becoming more religious? The latest survey from the Pew Research Centre estimates that what it calls religious "nones" (atheists, agnostics and people who did not identify with any particular religion) currently make up a mere 16 per cent of the world's population, but predicts that percentage will reduce further, to 13 per cent by 2060, with religious adherence advancing instead.

Moreover, in many countries there has been an observable rise not just in the numbers of those of faith but in the importance of religion as a mark of identity. This can be seen in Muslim-majority states from Indonesia and Malaysia to Pakistan and Egypt, likewise Hinduism in India, and in the role of the Orthodox Church in Russia, which has enjoyed a renewed centrality as a custodian of national culture under Vladimir Putin. Even China’s president Xi Jinping has spoken in favour of traditional Chinese religion and constructing “positive and healthy religious relationships”.

I have suggested before that this trend may be partly a revolt against a secularism that elites had imported from the West, and then imposed on their countries on independence – so increased religiosity is to an extent a natural reversion, as it were, rather than a wholly new phenomenon.

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But what really matters is whether religious “nones” can have any serious understanding of what it means to have faith – and by that we are increasingly referring to what Mr Dennett would call “high cost” faiths. It was already clear that the “cost” of Anglicanism was indeed low compared to Islam, or even to Catholicism. As a former Catholic, I remember discussing this over 20 years ago with a Muslim friend. We were both perplexed by a church that didn’t seem to demand that you believe, or do, anything in particular.

But "nones" becoming an ever larger majority in the UK means the gulf growing even wider. This was demonstrated after the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris in 2015. The vast majority of Muslims condemned the loss of life. They did not think the cartoonists should have been killed. But most did not believe that they should have produced the offending drawings either - a distinction that atheists or the vehemently secular proponents of free speech could not comprehend.

Neither could they truly grant any meaningful value to Pope Francis's statement when he said: "You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others." They simply thought he was wrong.

You have to know - maybe to experience - what faith means to adherents of high cost religions to be aware of its centrality in their lives; and that what may be satire to the irreligious is no joke to the devout.

That the numbers of those who understand this, and who may soon have no friends or family who do either, are inexorably declining in Britain should be a cause for concern. I warned of a chasm of misunderstanding over this issue in these pages after Charlie Hebdo. It is vital that it is bridged if the world is to unite in a truly effective campaign to eliminate terrorism and extremism. We can only hope that this survey does not mean that the gap has widened and deepened still further.

Sholto Byrnes is a senior fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia

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Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Creator: Lauren LeFranc

Rating: 4/5

The specs

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Stage 5 results

1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53

2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -

3 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott -

4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:04

5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07

General Classification:

1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04

2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01

3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33

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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)

Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai

Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia

Recent winners

2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)

2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)

2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)

2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)

2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)

2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)

2011 Maria Farah (Canada)

2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)

2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)

2014 Lia Saad (UAE)

2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)

2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)

2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)

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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega

Director: Tim Burton

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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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Match info

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Serbia 1
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- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut

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The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
not be younger than 25 years old
not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”