The largest survey of British Jewish identity ever carried out shows a community that, in large numbers, belongs without believing. That pattern sits at the heart of Spiritual Humanistic Judaism. This page introduces the survey and summarises its findings on belief in God, the Torah, religious identity and the practice of Jewish law.
Download the full report (PDF, 123 pages)
Jews in the UK today: Key findings from the JPR National Jewish Identity Survey, by Dr David Graham and Dr Jonathan Boyd. Institute for Jewish Policy Research, February 2024.
About the survey
The Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) is a London-based research organisation. Its National Jewish Identity Survey ran from 16 November to 23 December 2022 and gathered 4,891 responses from Jews aged 16 and over living in the UK. Respondents could identify as Jewish on any basis: religion, ethnicity, culture, parentage or heritage.
Most took part online through the JPR Research Panel, an opt-in panel rather than a random sample. The results were weighted against census and synagogue membership data. Many questions repeat JPR’s 2013 survey, so change over the decade can be measured. All fieldwork took place before 7 October 2023.
Belief in God
- 34% of British Jews believe in God as described in the Bible.
- 41% believe in some other higher power or spiritual force.
- 25% believe in neither.
British Jews are less likely than American Jews to believe in God, but far less likely than the general British population to be non-believers. Almost half of Britons overall believe in no God or higher power.
Belief varies sharply by stream. Belief in the biblical God is close to universal among Haredi Jews (99%) and high among Orthodox Jews (80%). It falls to 39% among Traditional Jews, 18% among Reform/Progressive Jews, 14% among those who are “Just Jewish” and 5% among non-practising Jews.
The Torah
- 18% believe the Torah is the actual word of God.
- 35% see it as divinely inspired but not to be read literally.
- 47% see it as an ancient book of history and moral teaching written by human beings.
More than two in five self-described Orthodox Jews do not believe the Torah is literally God’s word. Among Reform/Progressive Jews the figure who do is 2%.
God’s role in the world
Respondents were asked about three statements:
- The universe came about by chance: 33% agree, 42% disagree, and a quarter are unsure.
- Praying to God can help overcome personal problems: just under half agree.
- Belief in God is not central to being a good Jew: 69% agree; only 26% disagree.
Among Reform/Progressive Jews, 80% say belief in God is not central to being a good Jew.
Belief and the synagogue
57% of British Jewish adults belong to a synagogue, but belonging and believing are only loosely linked. Fewer than half of synagogue members (44%) believe in God as the Bible describes, and over a third (37%) do not believe in God at all. Nearly two in five Jewish atheists belong to a synagogue.
41% of Jews attend a service monthly or more. Reform/Progressive Jews (52%) attend more often than Traditional Jews (48%). Among regular attenders, the most common reason given is a sense of belonging (61%), followed by finding it spiritually meaningful (56%).
Religious identity
Respondents chose the stream that best described them:
| Stream | Share of adults |
|---|---|
| Traditional | 27% |
| Non-practising (secular/cultural) | 19% |
| Reform/Progressive | 18% |
| Just Jewish | 13% |
| Orthodox | 12% |
| Haredi | 7% |
The non-practising group shrank most over the decade, from 29% to 20%. Individuals have tended to move “leftwards” from the stream they grew up in, but higher Orthodox birth rates have shifted the community as a whole slightly towards tradition. JPR’s Reform/Progressive category combines Reform and Liberal Jews and does not separate them.
What matters most
Asked which of 18 aspects are very important to their Jewish identity, British Jews put remembering the Holocaust (71%), strong moral and ethical behaviour (69%), combating antisemitism (64%) and feeling part of the Jewish people (64%) at the top. Believing in God (30%), keeping kosher (27%), prayer (21%) and studying religious texts (16%) come near the bottom.
Jewish law and practice
Observance is wider than belief, but practices that carry the full weight of Jewish law are kept by a minority.
- Shabbat: 61% attend a Friday night meal most weeks, up from 54% in 2013. Half light candles every week or frequently. 23% never travel by car on Shabbat, and 20% do not switch on lights. Many also mark the day in other ways: 58% make time for family and friends, and 31% take a break from technology.
- Kashrut: 40% of households buy only kosher meat, and 39% separate meat and milk. These practices are near-universal among Orthodox families, around 75% among Traditional ones, and about 15% among Reform/Progressive ones.
- Festivals: 71% attend a seder every year and 71% light Chanukah candles every year. 56% fast on Yom Kippur every year, including half of Reform/Progressive Jews.
Why this matters
These findings describe a community whose Jewish lives are rich in practice, ethics and belonging, but whose prayer books mostly assume beliefs that few of them hold. Spiritual Humanistic Judaism takes that gap seriously. It offers a religious Jewish life in which the words said aloud match what people actually believe, while the festivals, community and ethical commitment they already value stay at its centre.
Source: Graham, D. and Boyd, J. (2024). Jews in the UK today: Key findings from the JPR National Jewish Identity Survey. London: Institute for Jewish Policy Research.