The rapid decline in churchgoers in the UK may be slowing thanks to a rise in patriotism and pride in Christianity, a new report is suggesting. The trend appeared in an analysis of two major surveys of British attitudes by a Professor of theology and the sociology of religion at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. Professor Stephen Bullivary told the Telegraph, “People see Christianity as an expression of Englishness. There has been more rhetoric around Britain being a Christian nation. People are looking for ways to connect with others. I suspect a larger proportion of people who do say they are Anglican tend to be patriotic”. In the period from 2009, the proportion of non-religious people has declined by 2% whereas those who self-describe as Anglican has increased by almost 1%. Professor Bullivary commented, “[a]fter decades of bad news, this is certainly welcome for the Church of England. If I was in the Anglican Church I would be celebrating this.”