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Rob Barward-Symmons

@robb-s.bsky.social
222 followers 388 following 77 posts

Senior Research and Impact Manager at Bible Society; Research Fellow with the Centre for the Study of Modern Christianity, Durham. Sociologist of Christianity. PhD explored youth work and young people in Evangelicalism.

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Reposted by Rob Barward-Symmons
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 10/01/2026
‘It’s younger people seeking some sort of spirituality’: The rise of UK Bible sales
theguardian.com
‘It’s younger people seeking some sort of spirituality’: The rise of UK Bible sales
Surge in sales correlates with the growth in church attendances in England and Wales, research says For Christian booksellers, the good news about Bibles sales has been few and far between. But in recent retail figures, there was a revelation. Sales of the good book reached a record high in the UK in 2025, increasing by 134% since 2019 – the highest since records began – according to industry research. Last year, the total sales of Bibles in the UK reached £6.3m in 2025, £3.61mup on 2019 sales. Continue reading...
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Interestingly in our interim survey (for The Quiet Revival) in early 22 we found approx stability in terms of reported churchgoing compared to 18. A smaller sample and straight off COVID so is difficult to interpret, but further suggests that something has happened particularly in the last few years
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Obviously fascinating by itself, but also adds evidence to this curious idea that something has shifted significantly specifically since (mid?) 2022. Second chart is from the YouGov belief in God tracker (18-24s)
Graph showing UK annual Bible sales. The chart is largely steady until around 2022, at which point it begins to increase rapidly. The 2024 figure is more than 2x that of 2020.A chart from YouGov of their 'Brits' beliefs about God(s)', showing the 18-24 bracket. It shows that belief in God has increased rapidly since August 2022 among this demographic
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Staggering story this - Bible sales soaring thanks to Gen Z. More evidence that something is definitely happening among young adults www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
dailymail.co.uk
Bible sales hit record high as Gen Z drive 134% growth in six years
Total sales of the Bible reached £6.3million in Britain last year - up 134 per cent in value since £2.7million in 2019, according to analysis of Nielsen BookScan data.
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Thanks!
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
If anyone (or their librarian) is really eager, my upcoming @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social book 'Becoming Evangelical: Life and Liminalities in Christian Youth Groups' is now available to pre-order! Bizarre but exciting to see it live www.waterstones.com/book/becomin...
waterstones.com
Becoming Evangelical by Rob Barward-Symmons | Waterstones
Buy Becoming Evangelical by Rob Barward-Symmons from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Theos let me write about cricket, which was far more fun than suffering through Day 2
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
My blog for Theos on how two of last week's big releases point towards the shifting seems of youth culture since the start of the century
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Reposted by Rob Barward-Symmons
Hannah Rich @hannahmerich.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
This is excellent from @robb-s.bsky.social, simultaneously sharing some great insights on religion and youth culture while also educating our Theos colleagues about the brilliance of Dave.
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Reposted by Rob Barward-Symmons
Duncan Robinson @duncanrobinson.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Shot, chaser Young men more likely to vote Green than Reform. Young men second most progressive group of any demographic. Combined right-wing vote barely bigger than Green vote alone for young men
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
We've got some really exciting projects lined up that this person would be able to get stuck into, so do apply if you're interested - or share it with someone who would be. But be quick, applications close next week!
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Reposted by Rob Barward-Symmons
The News Agents @thenewsagents.co.uk · 01/08/2025
"No one knows why." A recent YouGov poll says the number of young people who actively have faith has doubled in the last six years... it's called the “Quiet Revival“. What’s going on with young people and God? @maitlis.bsky.social investigates. www.youtube.com/watch?v=izH1...
youtube.com
What's going on with young people and God?
YouTube video by The News Agents
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Apologies for not tagging you there @alexandria-ah.bsky.social but to be fair yesterday you did proudly tell me you didn't have any social media so...
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Just saw this thread while searching the hashtag and I had the same feeling this year of not feeling the desire (or need?) to do the live updates. May be because I no longer have a role, but also just feels like evidence that the relationship to social media has transformed over the past year
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
I should say a massive well done to everyone involved in the conference, particularly @jen-studies-death.bsky.social and Alex who put so much into making it happen. SocRel really is an annual highlight and it just doesn't happen without folk like them working thanklessly throughout the year
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
After another brilliant @bsasocrel.bsky.social conference #SocRel25 and a manic few months I'm today on my first day of three months of shared parental leave. Can't wait. Should hopefully spend less time on social media...
A faceless baby in a pram holding an events badge with the label "Baby Quiet Revival"
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
This is outstanding news (though as some know I would advocate for younger). Now schools have the real opportunity to guide young people in how to positively contribute towards democratic society
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Reposted by Rob Barward-Symmons
Dr Ellie Atayee-Bennett @ellieatayeebennett.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Fantastic PGR/ECR workshop this morning exploring public engagement, framing research and accessibility, and engaging with media by the excellent @jen-studies-death.bsky.social @renasha.bsky.social @robb-s.bsky.social Lots of fantastic tips and insight which I look forward to putting into practice.
Dr Jennie Riley’s presentation on public engagement Dr Renasha Khan’s presentation on reframing research and accessibility Dr Rob Barward Symmons presentation on engaging with media
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Ultimately from a data/sampling/methodological perspective it's their reputation at stake, and they were happy for it to go to print as written.
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Worth adding, however, that we wouldn't be allowed to publish inaccurate analysis of the data - YouGov have reviewed everything in the report and have signed it off from a data accuracy perspective. If we bastardised the data they would publish a retraction and distance themselves
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
As is standard, the methodology and data tables on published data are available on request from YouGov (I don't have the direct link to hand atm), and we are exploring making more available in the future. All the relevant questions and sample sizes/info are also included in the report.
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Sorry have to jump but as I say, a fuller FAQ coming soon.
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Ultimately we have to acknowledge that, short of a full census (which does not ask about religious practice but that's a longer story) all surveys are going to have their limitations. Even British Social Attitudes! YouGov are, however, *incredibly* good at this form of polling.
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
[..] Denominational counts are measured VERY differently to a YouGov survey, and depend ultimately on a wide range of volunteers. I should say the data - and not just because of the findings - has been warmly received by senior figures within denoms because it gives deeper insights
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
- Having said that, the trend differences between ours and the denom counts are both curious and fascinating (though in some cases not as far out as would appear once margin of error is taken into account). The methodological differences between the approaches though are not insignificant [...]
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
- I would caution heavily against extrapolating specific numbers from percentages, particularly from smaller sample sizes, partly due to the larger margin of error at this scale. We avoid giving denominational, age etc *figures* for this reason
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
- A social desirability/"Shy Tory" dismissal needs to address convincingly firstly why it wasn't in effect in 2018 and secondly why these respondents look, across the whole breadth of the survey, like committed churchgoers. It's a coherent data story
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Appreciate the blog, a Bsky thread probably not the best place to respond in full but we will have an FAQ piece coming out very soon addressing a lot of your queries. A couple of quick bullets though:
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
The BES data is available for download - www.britishelectionstudy.com/data/ - but all requires additional analysis, so this graph is based on The Economist's analysis of the data.
britishelectionstudy.com
Data - The British Election Study
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
Fascinating article about the shift towards Christianity across the West, particularly among young adults. And exciting to see the Quiet Revival trends replicated in the British Election Study! Something is shifting, and we - including scholars - need to be paying attention
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
Then today in the Guardian, looking for further research into what is drawing young men into the church - but looking with a sense of optimism www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
I’m delighted to see gen Z men in the UK flocking back to church – I just hope it’s for the right reasons | Jessica White
Community, self-worth, activism: these things have boosted attendances. But so has online radicalisation – and we can’t ignore that, says writer Jessica White
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
This column in The Times arguing that the vibrancy of all faiths also benefiting Christianity - including among young adults - "Faith seems to be a bigger, prouder part of their lives." www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
thetimes.com
Our multifaith society can revive the church
Rather than threatening British Christianity, the rise of Islam may be helping it by defending religious practice
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
Some great pieces reflecting on the findings from The Quiet Revival over the last few days - just a few highlights here. Firstly, this from The Independent exploring the rise of Christianity among young adults in Britain www.independent.co.uk/life-style/c...
independent.co.uk
Make Christianity cool again: Why Gen Z is flocking to church
As a new report suggests that the number of young churchgoers has quadrupled, Helen Coffey investigates this potential UK spiritual revival – and asks why the next generation is more likely to be keep...
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
But part of the reason behind the 'quiet' label is that I think it can be happening even in people's own churches without them realising. People picture once empty churches now heaving, but it can be that the 1 young couple in a church in 2018 has become 4 in 2024 - and that's our 4x growth.
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
It's interesting asking around as some people have confidently seen it where they are, others have said 'Now you mention it there have been a few young adults join in the last few years', and others feeling as you are that they haven't felt it (yet!). As ever with national data, it's never uniform.
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
In terms of the denominational data, obviously they're very different methodologies but with the Anglicans especially we're not too different from their estimates, particularly if 2024 SfM continues to show a gradual post-pandemic return.
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
We're not releasing the full data set just yet, but will be looking to explore more areas (including regional, class, urban/rural etc) in the coming months - probably through blogs but we'll also aim for some journal articles. So you'll have to wait a bit, but definitely interesting stuff in there!
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Reposted by Rob Barward-Symmons
Ryan Burge @ryanburge.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Really strong evidence of a religious resurgence in England and Wales from new data from the Bible Society. Among 18-24 year olds, share attending monthly: 2018: 4% 2024: 16% Among 25-34 year olds: 2018: 4% 2024: 13% Overall, attendance went from 8% to 12%.
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
This is a genuinely astounding data set, drawn from the most robust of polling methods from @yougov.co.uk and over 13,000 respondents. You can read the report for yourself through the link below, we'd love to hear your thoughts! #QuietRevival www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/qui...
biblesociety.org.uk
Gen Z leads rise in church attendance
Gen Z leads an exciting turnaround in church attendance, as the decades-long decline in churchgoing in England and Wales is over.
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
But it's not just making a positive difference to individuals - churchgoers are then going out and making an impact across their communities. They are more likely to volunteer their time and money, and get involved in local community action efforts #QuietRevival
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
This is even more significant among younger churchgoers. For a generation struggling with hope, mental health and loneliness, and searching for meaning, healing and community, it looks like many across Gen Z are finding this in the Church #QuietRevival
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
What is the impact of all this? Well we've found that churchgoers are more likely to say they are happier, more hopeful, more connected to their local communities, and are less likely to frequently feel anxious or depressed #QuietRevival
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
There's something even bigger going on with this generation, however. Even beyond churchgoers we see a spiritual openness among Gen Z - with an overall rise in belief in God, 37% praying monthly, and 1/3 of non-churchgoers saying they would attend if invited. #QuietRevival
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
But it's not just young adults - it's young *men* in particular who are heading into churches. We see growth among both young women and men, but the assumption that the church is made up of older women is now clearly not the case. #QuietRevival
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Even more surprising is where that rise is coming from. While we also see it in our oldest group, the major rise comes from 18-34 year olds - particularly 'Gen Z' - who appear to have radically rebuffed the assumption of terminal generational decline. #QuietRevival
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Today is the launch of a ground-breaking piece of research I've co-authored with Rhiannon McAleer. Based on national surveys with @yougov.co.uk, 'The Quiet Revival' tells the astounding story that the number of adult churchgoers has RISEN by 50% since 2018 #BibleSociety #QuietRevival 🧵
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
This is not to say, of course, that there are not also significant numbers of people across society (particularly Gen X and older Millennials, I suspect) who grew up going to church and no-longer do. But it is a much more complex phenomenon
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
As a result, those who *do* identify as Christian (particularly younger people) are proportionally more active, even as the overall % of 'Christians' is declining. And anecdotally - for now at least - the sense is that there is also a rise in Christian practice among younger ages
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
My optimistic hope is that much of this shift has come from a sense of respect for religious people (including Christians), alongside wider discussions around identity in society, that these identity markers matter and are not to be adopted lightly. Non-religion more neutral
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Rob Barward-Symmons @robb-s.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
The result is a shift at both ends - what it means to be 'non-religious' is much broader than it once was (not just 'atheism' but also the spiritually open) and what it means to be 'Christian' is narrowing to be more closely tied to beliefs and practice.
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