Summary
A report by the Bible Society claiming a rise in young people attending church in England and Wales was retracted due to flawed data. YouGov, the research company behind the survey, found fraudulent responses affected the results because quality control measures were not applied properly.
Key Facts
- The Bible Society published a report called "Quiet Revival" about young churchgoers.
- The report said church attendance among 18-24 year olds rose from 4% in 2018 to 16% by 2024.
- YouGov found some survey responses were fraudulent and hadn't been properly filtered out.
- The report's findings were used by churches and mentioned in Parliament.
- Experts questioned the report as it conflicted with other data showing a decline in church attendance.
- YouGov's research method, which included rewards for participants, may have led to fake responses.
- YouGov apologized for the error and acknowledged the Bible Society reported the data they received accurately.
