C of E clergy more sympathetic to poverty than their congregations

Church of England clergy understand poverty very differently to their congregations, new research from Church Urban Fund shows.

The findings also suggest that attending church may do little to change people’s underlying opinions about the causes of poverty.

The research, which is ongoing, combines data from the British Social Attitudes Survey with new survey data collected by Church Urban Fund. Church leaders, regular churchgoers and non-churchgoers were asked for their opinions on a range of poverty-related issues, including their perceptions about the extent of child poverty and differences in incomes.

Results indicate sharp differences between the views of clergy members and their congregations. For example, three quarters of clergy said they thought poverty is due to “social injustice”, but only one fifth of regular churchgoers agreed. There is also an apparent lack of awareness of poverty; only 37% of churchgoers think there is “quite a lot” of child poverty in Britain, compared with 76% of clergy. This is in stark contrast to the latest poverty figures published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which show that unemployment, homelessness and fuel poverty have increased, and that 4 million children are now living in poverty.

Possibly more surprising was the finding that churchgoers’ attitudes to poverty were little different to those of non-churchgoers. In one question, 71% of clergy said they thought large income differences “are morally wrong” – but only 36% of regular churchgoers, and the same number of non-churchgoers, shared their opinion. In another question, 79% of churchgoers and 75% of non-churchgoers agreed that large income differences were inevitable, whereas only a third of clergy believe that nothing can be done to reduce inequality.

This year’s British Social Attitudes report, published by the National Centre for Social Research, suggests that British society has become more judgmental towards, and far less tolerant of, people living in poverty with a growing perception that issues like child poverty result from parental “laziness”. Church Urban Fund’s own research shows that churchgoers’ attitudes have been hardening over the past two decades in line with the views of the wider society.

Some of these attitudes are at odds with evidence-based facts; for instance, 56% of children in poverty come from homes where at least one parent is employed, underlining a need for awareness-raising and public discussion about the extent of poverty in Britain.

Public attitudes matter because they affect the way society treats those in poverty and shape the policies that are used to tackle poverty. Tim Bissett, CEO of Church Urban Fund, said: “Personally, I find these research findings shocking and surprising. There is a clear need for churches to be better informed about the human impact of poverty in this country, and at Church Urban Fund we are committed to resourcing churches and church leaders to do this. Our hope and vision is that every church, in every community, will get involved in tackling poverty in this country, but for this to happen there needs to be much greater awareness of what it means to be poor.”

Church Urban Fund is producing a new Lent resource pack, aimed specifically at churches, which will look at the personal stories behind poverty to help congregations to better understand some of its causes and effects. The resource pack will be free, and is available to pre-order online at www.cuf.org.uk/resources-churches/lent2012.

ENDS.

Notes to Editors:

A report with the findings of the new research will be published online in early January at www.cuf.org.uk/research.
Church Urban Fund’s survey of over 100 clergy was carried out during 2011.
Church Urban Fund is a Church of England charity working to tackle poverty in England. It was established in 1987. For further information go to www.cuf.org.uk.
For media enquiries, contact Emma Bennett at Church Urban Fund on 020 7898 1666 or e-mail emma.bennet@cuf.org.uk.