Less than half of respondents to a survey on attitudes to death say they want a funeral, according to research just published in the UK [1].
The researchers say it confirms that society today “keeps death at arm’s length and out of sight”.
Madeleine Pennington and Nathan Mladin of the Theos think tank say people are increasingly likely to grieve for others behind closed doors: “religious or not, we think a funeral should celebrate the life of the deceased and hold space for mourning together, but less than half of us (47%) now say we want a funeral at all”.
They add that while financial pressures play a part in these decisions, religious and spiritual perspectives are even stronger determinants of whether people want a funeral or not.
“In this sense, reducing religious affiliation has made greater room for market forces to shape how we grieve. The result is a significant realignment in British grieving practices. And further changes to the ways we grieve may come, given higher levels of openness to emerging ‘grief technologies’ among the young”.