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Religion and belief

Guidance on equality monitoring in relation to religion and belief.

Advance HE recommends that a question about religion and belief is accompanied by text explaining that its purpose is to ensure that policies and practices do not discriminate against people observing a religion or belief, or those who have no religion or belief. This could be of particular importance for institutions that have a historic or current affiliation with a particular religion or belief or a strong secular identity or history.

Recommended question:

What is your religion or belief? (Select all that apply)

  • No religion (including atheist)
  • Buddhist
  • Christian
  • Hindu
  • Jewish
  • Muslim
  • Sikh
  • Any other religion or belief (specify, if you wish):
  • Prefer not to say.

The focus of the equivalent question in the English and Welsh census is narrower and asks ‘What is your religion?’ However, the response options provided in the census match those listed above.

In the Scottish census, the question asks ‘What religion, religious denomination or body do you belong to?’ and presents disaggregated response options for Christian (‘Church of Scotland’, ‘Roman Catholic’ and ‘Other Christian, please write in’) and the response option ‘Pagan’.

The Northern Irish census asks the same question as in Scotland, with the response options ‘Roman Catholic’, ‘Presbyterian Church in Ireland’, ‘Church of Ireland’, ‘Methodist Church in Ireland’ and ‘Other, write in’. The Northern Irish census also asks a question about the religion, religious denomination or body a person was brought up as.