New census data has shown that Christianity in Scotland has plummeted. A map produced by official statisticians, based on the 2001 census, indicated that large areas of England were in the highest band for the level of Christianity, where as Scotland lagged behind in the second band.

The difference was highlighted when looking at the number of people identifying themselves as Christian above and below the Scottish border; almost the entire north of England was placed in the top band, 77.44% to 86.88%. However, the Scottish side of the border was almost completely second band at 69.81% to 77.43%.

Church leaders though, have defended Scotland’s level of faith, and were quick to point out that different questions were used or the census.

For example the Scottish question read: “What is your religion?” followed by a list of options. But in England and Wales it was rephrased: “What religion, religious denomination or body do you belong to?”

A more recent poll, however, conducted by the Labour Force Survey, and asked the same questions all over Britain. In this poll the proportion of people who said that they were Christian was very similar in Scotland as it was in England and Wales.

A Church of Scotland spokesperson said, “I suspect that the level of Christian belief on both sides of the border is reasonable similar, but that, when faced with slightly different questions, respondents south of the border gave slightly more affirmative answers to their Christian belief.”

The spokesperson for the Catholic Church in Scotland then went one step further and claimed that the numbers who actively attend church in Scotland was higher than in England.

He said, "We commissioned a survey two years ago based on church attendance, and that showed that 11.2% in Scotland regularly went to church, compared with 7.5% in England and Wales, so that is almost 50% more here who are actually practising their religion."