Easter: Quarter of UK Christians do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, survey reveals

And more than a tenth of 'active' believers say they do not think there is life after death

General view of a crucifix in the scissor arches of Wells Cathedral (PA Archive/PA Images)

Nearly a quarter of UK Christians do not believe Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead, a survey has claimed.

While 44 per cent of the population overall believes Christ returned from death according to the Bible story, the figure rises to just 72 per cent among Christians—despite the event being a central part of the faith.

But the Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, welcomed the poll's results and said they showed even non-churchgoers held "core Christian beliefs". Just over a third of people who identified as non-Christians said they thought the resurrection had taken place.

However, five per cent of people who regarded themselves as "active" Christians did not believe the Bible claim was true, according to the Com Res survey of 2,010 people.

The Right Rev Walker said: "This important and welcome survey proves that many British people, despite not being regular churchgoers, hold core Christian beliefs.

"Alongside them it finds surprisingly high levels of religious belief among those who follow no specific religion, often erroneously referred to as secularists or atheists.

"This demonstrates how important beliefs remain across our society and hence the importance both of religious literacy and of religion having a prominent place in public discourse."

Alastair Lichten, campaign officer at the National Secular Society, said the results were "not very surprising" because many people identified as Christian for cultural reasons.

He said: "People have every right to identify how they want, but I think this should just send a message.

"When people identify in a certain religious way that doesn't tell you anything about them. It doesn't tell you their position on theological issues or on social issues."

Opinion on whether there is life after death was split across the country, with 46 per cent believing there was, 46 per cent saying the opposition, and 8 per cent unsure.

More than a tenth of "active" Christians said they did not believe there was an afterlife.