RAPIDLY increasing secularism in parts of Northern Ireland matches the surge of support for Alliance, according to the local representative of Humanists UK.
The percentage of people stating they are non-religious has soared in the last decade, from just over 10 to nearly 18 per cent of the total population.
Approximately 330,000 listed no religion on the census form, with the highest numbers posted in North Down and Ards and across the greater Belfast area.
“You probably will find that this aligns to where Alliance is strongest,” said the north’s Humanists Coordinator Boyd Sleator. “Many of those people would have a centrist position.”
But he added humanists tend to be free thinkers and will have all types of different positions.
According to the census, 17.39 per cent listed no religion, with a further 1.6 not stating anything. The majority of those stating no religion are from a Protestant background.
Mr Sleator said: “‘The biggest demographic change in Northern Ireland in the last ten years has been the dramatic growth of the non-religious – and census results confirm it.
“The implications of this trend are wide-ranging but, given that younger people are more likely to be non-religious, they are especially urgent in relation to our school system.”
Humanists cite also the annual Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, which in 2021, 28 per cent stated “no religion”.
Alliance Party MLA Nuala McAllister told BBC: “The growth of Alliance in the last election is testament to the fact religion doesn’t necessarily determine political opinion."
