One in two people in Northern Ireland describe themselves as “practising Christians”, according to a survey of over 1,000 people by the polling company Savanta which was commissioned by the Evangelical Alliance (EA).

While the UK’s 2021 census found that 80% of the NI population identified as Christian, the new research asked people whether they are “practising” their Christian faith.

The resulting report – ‘Northern Ireland: Who are the Good News People?’ – concludes that 50% of people in NI regard themselves as “practising Christians”, with 35% praying, 23% going to church and 13% reading the Bible every week.

The report also found that 38% of “practising” Catholics also consider themselves to be evangelical Christians.

David Smyth, head of EA in NI, said: “We always suspected that the Christian faith continued to play an important role in life here and this research confirms high levels of religious identification and practice. The findings in this report have challenged, surprised and encouraged us”.