Abstract
The availability of opinion polls means that, for the first time in the 1950s, it is possible to probe popular beliefs in a quantitatively representative rather than anecdotal fashion. Four dimensions of belief are considered, starting with orthodox and heterodox beliefs, broadly equating to those which contemporary Churches and clergy would have understood as, respectively, falling within and outside of the framework of traditional Christianity. Beliefs in God, an afterlife, astrology, and superstitions are among those discussed. Attitudes to a range of religion-related public issues (such as the Churches, Sabbatarianism, Catholics, and Jews) are then considered, followed by an analysis by religious variables of attitudes to more secular topics (including moral questions such as divorce and capital punishment and investigation of religion and voting behaviour).
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Notes
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© 2015 Clive D. Field
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Field, C.D. (2015). Believing. In: Britain’s Last Religious Revival? Quantifying Belonging, Behaving, and Believing in the Long 1950s. Histories of the Sacred and the Secular 1700–2000. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137512536_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137512536_4
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