A publicly-funded report, which questioned thousands of young people in Bradford and London about their attitudes to religious belief in a changing society, paints a generally optimistic picture of mutual tolerance and respect.

The Youth on Religion report, one of 75 research projects under the Religion and Society Programme, found that young people felt personally responsible for their own religious and cultural identities but, at the same time, were respectful and interested in the values and beliefs of others.

Inevitably, however, the research also uncovered inconsistencies between rhetoric and reality as well as overt tensions between faith groups.

The research was led by Professor Nicola Madge at Brunel University and carried out in schools and colleges in Bradford and the London Boroughs of Hillingdon and Newham. More than 10,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 18 took part and included those from Muslim, Christian, Sikh, no faith and other backgrounds.

Professor Madge said: “I would not say that our report shows that young people are more secular than their elders. Some reported that they were more religious than their parents and some that their parents and grandparents were more religious than them.

“What we did find, however, was that young people, especially those whose earlier family generations came from other countries, might be adapting their religious practices to fit in with Western culture. In other words, the presentation of their faith might be changing.”

According to one young person quoted in the report: “It’s kind of silly to believe in something because someone else told you to or someone else believes in it or anything. You should really think of it for yourself”.

At the same time they expressed enthusiasm for integration across ethnic, cultural and religious divides and support for multi-faith rather than single-faith schools. They emphasised the similarities rather than the differences between religions, disliked evangelism, and called for fair treatment for all.

Alongside the common rhetoric of personal choice, however, young people were subject to competing pressures and influences from faith values, family, friends and peers, and at school.

Expectations based on faith position, for example, could be at odds with expectations of friends and peers. As one young Muslim male put it: “Sometimes it’s more about what you feel yourself, because you want to do that stuff, but you can’t do it. But in the end your body tells you to do it, but your heart tells you not to do it”.

The study also uncovered overt tensions linked to religion and ethnicity. Young people in multi-faith communities referred to name-calling, threatening incidents on buses, stereotyping and fear of young people with rucksacks, and heated debate over the siting of mosques.

They also talked about people moving out of the area as its character changed and, disparagingly, of extreme political correctness such as not allowing a lollipop lady to wear a Father Christmas hat.

Participants in the survey were asked: ‘What can young people, schools/colleges and the Government do to make sure that people from different religions get on well together?’ Their favoured solutions reflected the mutual tolerance and respect they valued and so commonly expressed. These included better education at school, in the community and through the media, improved equality and respect, and more integration.

The Bishop of Bradford, the Right Rev Nick Baines, said in the modern world belief had become divorced from practice and dogma from culture. People were able to believe mutually contradictory things without worrying about it.

“This research demonstrates that religion (as world view) matters to young people, that common assumptions about young people and religion need to be checked, and that enabling young people to understand religion is vital to society. It raises other questions, but is clearly the first word rather than the last,” he added.

The report states that ‘Maintaining a spirit of liberalism and optimism among the present and future generations... is no doubt the biggest challenge of all.’ Zulfi Karim, senior vice-president of Bradford Council for Mosques, welcomed the report.

“It’s a good thing that young people are turning to religion but not without challenging the first and second generations about what it means to them. I am hopeful that the future of these young people will be a bright one,” he said.