For the first time, more than half of people in the UK do not identify as religious, a survey suggests. Last year 53% of people described themselves as having "no religion", in a survey of 2,942 adults by the National Centre for Social Research. Among those aged between 18 and 25, the proportion was higher at 71%.

The figures, shown to BBC Radio 5 live, reveal a downward trend for religious belief in the UK. When the national centre's British Social Attitudes survey began in 1983, 31% of respondents said they had no religion. A random sample of adults were involved in the latest survey and they were asked whether they regarded themselves as belonging to a particular religion. Almost two in three 25 to 34 year olds said they were non-religious, while 75% of people aged 75 and over said they were religious.