ABS census data shows Christianity declining, nonbelievers rising in Mackay
If a 10-year trend showing declines in the number of locals identifying as Christian continues, nonbelievers will become the dominant religious affiliation in Mackay. Here’s what the numbers mean.
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When St Paul’s Uniting Church celebrated 150 years in Mackay this year, a striking observation underpinned the revelry: most of those in the pews were middle aged and elderly.
For Reverend Dr Julia Pitman, the church Minister, the trend of rising unbelief in younger Australians has been building since the 1960s.
“The structure of our society is no longer organised around Christianity,” she said.
“When Mackay was founded under European settlement, there was a very strong emphasis on creating a culture in Mackay that reflected Christian principles.
“The lay leaders intended to create a Christian society, not just in the church, but in the whole structure of Mackay society.
“And that really fell apart in the 1960s with the demise of sporting competitions and the gradual introduction of Sunday trading.”
Dr Pitman’s analysis is backed by recent Census data.
In the past 10 years, those who identified in the survey as having Christian faith declined sharply in Mackay and non-belief exploded to become the second largest religious affiliation.
Between 2011 and 2021, the number of residents who claimed to have no religion expanded 103 per cent from about 22,057 to more than 44,777.
Christians by contrast, saw their numbers fall 20.5 per cent from about 77,523 to now 61,641.
Nonbelievers now make up about 37 per cent of the local government area while Christians make up just over 50 per cent.
Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists also recorded strong growth but in real numbers remain tiny minorities in the Sugar City.
Mackay’s shifting religious profile mirrors the statewide trend.
Across the decade, the number of Christians in Queensland fell 427,686, or 15.36 per cent, while nonbelievers grew by more than a million from 955,782 to 2,114,787, a 121 per cent increase.
Legislation also seems to have reflected the shift.
In 2021, parliament legalised voluntary assisted dying by a substantial 61-30 vote, despite opposition from most mainstream churches, including the Uniting Church.
Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert voted in favour of the procedure, arguing in parliament that Queenslanders suffering with terminal conditions deserved a choice.
“I believe that people should be afforded the ability to make their own decision about their death when the time comes without the belief systems of others being placed over their personal decisions,” she said.
Dr Pitman said Christians no longer had the power to shape laws.
“Since the 1960s, there have been many legislative changes that show that the church no longer has the hold on politics that it had from say 1788 through to the 1960s, where basically Christian doctrine determined laws in Australia,” she said.
“So, the introduction of gambling, poker machines, sports betting, all of these kinds of things, has been the result of the decline of the majority Christian view.”
Dr Pitman argued Christians were now a “countercultural” force in a secular society but remained optimistic about the future prospects of her faith.
“We had vast numbers of grey-headed people at our 150th but that is because the church has played a role in the community for such a long time, with baptisms, weddings and funerals,” she said.
“Today in church, we had quite a few families present, with children of all ages.
“I am not that concerned about the future of the church in terms of its capacity to attract young people.”
She added the average age of membership in the Uniting Church was not going up “as far as one might expect”.
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