According to a new poll, young British Muslims are far more religious than their non-Muslim peers. But apart from religion, young British Muslims and non-Muslims, hold very similar views in matters such as personal finance, representation and the climate crisis.
The research was commissioned by Hyphen, an online publication focused on Muslims in the UK and Europe and it was conducted by Savanta over the period of two weeks in February.
Of the 2073 young British people (between 16 and 24) interviewed, approximately half (1002) were Muslim and the other half were non-Muslims from diverse backgrounds including gender, religion and where they lived.
The survey found that more than half of Gen Z Muslims born between the 1990s and 2012 perceived that Muslims were not portrayed accurately in UK media. Interestingly, half of the non-Muslims that were interviewed had similar views.
Other findings included thoughts about the Eid festival. The survey found that almost 90% of Gen Z British Muslims believed that employees should be more flexible with offering time off from work on Eid. Over 60% of non-Muslims interviewed agreed with this point.
Taking many by surprise, the survey also identified that almost 50% of young British Muslims care more about climate change and dealing with the crisis than their non-Muslim peers.
In matters of debt and finance, figures were somewhat similar. Both young British Muslims and non-Muslims shared that they had some form of debt. However, nearly 60% of young British Muslims rated themselves as finically secure, whilst only 56% of non-Muslims said the same.
Young British Muslims More Religious Than Non-Muslims
On the matter of religion and spirituality, the survey found that young British Muslims are far more religious than their non-Muslim peers.
Almost 90% of Muslims (nine in 10) aged between 16 and 24 said they prayed at home, while 75% said they visited a mosque regularly.
Contrasting this, 64% of non-Muslims said that they rarely or never prayed at home, while almost 70% rarely or never visited a place of worship.
In discussing the cause of this, the survey results found that 81% of young British Muslims were influenced by religious ministers, which was the case for only 38% of non-Muslims.
Gen Z Experiencing Islamophobia
Despite work being carried out to challenge and eliminate Islamophobia, almost half of young British Muslims have experienced some form of Islamophobia in school or a social setting. The results found that young British Muslim women were more likely to experience this than young British Muslim men.
What’s more, 45% of young Muslims said they identified more with being Muslim than British, while only 8% said the opposite and 43% identified with both equally.
On this note, the editor of Hyphen, Burhan Wazir said, “What we can deduce is that [Generation Z] UK Muslims view their faith and national identity as intertwined.”
He also added, “They live in a country which they regard as diverse and they enjoy the freedom to express their identity and beliefs, which all help in giving them the confidence to assert their full identity.”
Juber Ahmed is our Digital Editor and travel enthusiast with a keen interest in Islamic history and heritage. He travels with his wife to various places around the world and writes about his experiences.
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