The proportion of Australians who identify as Christian is falling fast, according to the latest research from Roy Morgan.

In late 2011, Christians outnumbered the non-religious by over two to one: 60.9 per cent of Australians aged over 14 said they belonged to a Christian denomination, compared to 29.2 per cent who said they had no religious affiliation. Those average figures, according to Roy Morgan, changed very little since 2009.

However, in the last quarter of October to December 2013, that number changed significantly. Now, 52.6 per cent of Australians identify as Christian, while 37.6 per cent have no religion.

“By Easter next year, it could well be the first time that the majority of Australians don’t affiliate with Christianity,” says Norman Morris, industry communications director at Roy Morgan.

“These results are not necessarily about belief, per se, but rather our changing attitudes to religious affiliation. The decline in the proportion of Australians who say they are Christian—whether Catholic, Anglican or another denomination—coupled with a similarly sized increase in the number who tell us they have no religion, could reflect a growing level of genuine atheism or agnosticism, or instead simply a shift away from identifying with organised Christianity, despite ongoing theistic faith. Likely, it is a combination of both.”

Morris highlighted “morally conservative religious doctrines” towards abortion, same-sex marriage and contraception as potential factors contributing to a fall in the number of Christian adherents. He also suggested the current attention surrounding the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse coincides with the drop.

You might also be interested in reading:

• Are Christians persecuted? by Michael Jensen (9 February 2014)
• Knowledge of Christianity should be an education priority, say Christian organisations (10 March 2014)
• The strange victory in being prepared to lose, by Justine Toh (8 April 2012)