The same survey also highlights that women aged 50 and above are almost twice as likely to believe in an afterlife as their male counterparts.
In a recent survey, we asked 1,000 people aged 50 and above to specify whether they believed in life after death. While 28% of people preferred not to give an answer, 32% expressed that they do believe in life after death in one form or another, answering ‘yes’. However, the biggest group was made up of those who say that they do not believe in an afterlife, with nearly 40% of respondents (399 people) answering ‘no’.
Interestingly, the survey showed that the divide between the number of men and women who believe in an afterlife is stark. 37% of total women asked said that they do believe in an afterlife, compared to just 25% of total men asked. Far fewer men said they are undecided (23% of men compared to 31% of women), and 51% of men revealed that they definitely do not believe in life after death. This is far greater than the 31% of women who said that they do not believe in an afterlife in one form or another.
The research also revealed that having faith in an afterlife varies greatly by region. Residents of Northern Ireland proved most likely to believe in life after death, with nearly half (46%) of respondents in the region answering ‘yes’ to the question. By comparison, just 26% of respondents living in the East Midlands expressed a belief in an afterlife, which was the lowest in the country. This was closely followed by the North East of England, where 51% of people said they do not believe in an afterlife.
Marketing Manager, Emma Simpson, said: “Whether or not you believe in an afterlife is a very personal opinion. We were surprised to see such a difference in the number of men and women over 50 who say they believe in life after death, and it was interesting to see that there is generally less uncertainty among male respondents – surprisingly few male respondents said they weren’t sure.”
Source: OnePoll research of 1,000 men and women aged 50 and above on behalf of Ecclesiastical Planning Services, December 2018.