Britain's Christian nationalists are more likely to back Reform than attend church, new report finds

From the Newshound archive · first published 12 October 2026.

A Theos think tank survey of 1,765 people has identified the group most closely resembling Christian nationalists in Britain — labelled "identity integrationists" — as people motivated by hostility to immigration and a sense of cultural identity rather than by religious practice. Only 13 per cent attend church weekly, a figure barely higher than the national average of 11 per cent, yet 81 per cent identify as Christian. The group is the smallest of five categories identified, making up 11 per cent of respondents, but ranks as the most politically potent.

Forty-three per cent of "identity integrationists" are affiliated with Reform UK, with 48 per cent intending to vote for the party.

Forty-two per cent regard whiteness as central to genuine British identity, and close to half would object to ethnic minorities making up the majority of hospital staff.

A more devout group — "belief integrationists" — are more ethnically diverse, more observant, and considerably more accepting of immigration and religious diversity.