A large majority of people living in Wales believe that Christianity has a role to play in their community, according to research commissioned by the Presbyterian Church of Wales.

70% of those questioned in the recent survey agreed that it was possible for Christianity to play a part in their community.  And although only 16% of people attend a church service once a month or more often, 48% feel that religion is relevant to them.

Conducted by Beaufort Research, the survey of 1,009 adults aged 16+ resident in Wales found that fewer than one in five (19%) felt there was no place for Christianity in their community. Yet there was little optimism regarding the future of the Church: over half (56%) believed that Christianity is a dying religion and  76% agreed with the view that the youth of today have no interest in religion.  This was mirrored by the young people surveyed, with 74% of those between 18-24 agreeing that the youth of today have no interest in religion.

In their attitudes to Christianity, there are clear divisions between men and women, people from different parts of Wales and Welsh- and non-Welsh-speakers:

	53% of women and 42% of men agreed with the statement “Religion is relevant to me”.
	26% of fluent Welsh speakers said they attend a church service once a month or more often, compared with 13% of non-Welsh speakers.
	Only 33% of people living in the Valleys thought that religion was relevant to them.  This increased to 55% in North Wales and Mid & West Wales.

Responding to the figures, Revd Gwenda Richards, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Wales, said: “The results of this research challenge the Church to respond creatively to the needs of society, and to spell out the relevance of the faith.  The people of Wales clearly see a place for the Church in their communities but are pessimistic about its future. 

"Carried out by a professional company, this research is important and revelatory and reflects what many people already suspected about the church’s situation in a society where religion is still considered relevant but where commitment to, and practice of, worship is rare.  It calls for a theological and practical response and the Church will give careful consideration to the results over the coming months.”