Half the public view Church of England unfavourably, survey finds

Just under half the British public hold an unfavourable opinion of the Church of England, polling has found.

Forty-nine per cent of those surveyed says they held a negative opinion of the Church, a ten point increase since November, when 39% reported a similarly unfavourable view.

In the same, period the net unfavorability of the Church more than tripled, from -7 to -24. Eighteen per cent of respondents also said they held a 'very unfavourable' view of the Church.

Just 25% of respondents said they held a favourable view of the church, a 7 point decrease from November, when 32% reported holding a favourable view.

Fifty per cent also said they supported ending the Church of England's established status, a figure consistent with previous findings. Just 23% said the connection between Church and state should be maintained.

The new polling comes amidst an ongoing abuse crisis in the Church of England. In November, Justin Welby resigned as archbishop of Canterbury after a review found he failed to act on reports of abuse by Church of England preacher John Smyth.

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has also faced calls to resign over his alleged failure to handle abuse cases properly.

Last week, the bishop of Liverpool, John Perumbalath, announced his retirement after allegations of sexual assault and harassment made against him came to light. Cottrell has admitted to knowing about the allegations for some time before Perumbalath was enthroned as bishop of Liverpool.

NSS: No democratic mandate for establishment

National Secular Society chief executive Stephen Evans said: "The findings are clear: only a quarter of Brits have a favorable view of the Church of England, and half support disestablishment. The Church's established and privileged status is incompatible with the reality of a nation where support and affiliation is dwindling.

"There is no mandate from the British people to continue with the status quo. Separating church and state is not only right principle, but also essential in light of the Church's continued failure to address the abuse within its ranks."