A large proportion of people in the UK say they have no religion, a YouGov survey has revealed.

Research carried out by Lancaster University on behalf of YouGov found that 46 per cent of adults of all backgrounds say they have no religion, while 42 per cent call themselves Christians.

The survey, which polled 1,500 people, also found that younger people in this country consider themselves less religious than their elders. While the majority of over-60s said they were Christian, 56 per cent of people under the age of 40 said they held no religion at all.

These results show there is disparity between the majority of Jews and the majority of people of other backgrounds living in the UK. Two years ago, the National Jewish Community Survey, the largest survey ever carried out on Jews in the UK, found that younger people - those under the age of 40 - were in fact more observant than their parents’ and grandparents generations.

These figures were mostly ascribed to population growth among the strictly Orthodox.

Full details of the recent YouGov survey's results will be released on Tuesday by Linda Woodhead, professor in sociology and religion at Lancaster University.