The majority of white Britons say they have no religion, a new study shows.

Research reveals that 46 per cent of adults of all races identify as having no religion, compared with the 42 per cent who considered themselves Christian.

The dwindling number of Christians could be down to the growing divide between lay followers and church leaders, who experts believe are becoming 'more set apart from society'.

Growing gap: The dwindling number of Christians could be down to the growing divide between lay followers and church leaders, who experts believe are becoming 'more set apart from society (file image)

The YouGov survey, carried out by team from Lancaster University, also shows the number of people who consider themselves non-religious is rising with each generation.

Among the over-60s of all races, there are nearly twice as many Christians as non-religious respondents (classified as 'nones'); the numbers are equal for those aged between 40 and 59; and for the under-40s there are nearly twice as many 'nones' (56 per cent) as Christians (31 per cent).

The survey of 1,500 people indicates a significant rise in the number of 'nones' since 2013, when they represented 37% per cent of respondents.

The findings support the British Social Attitudes survey which found 51 per cent reporting no religion in 2013, against the census of 2011 which reported a lower proportion.

'No religion is the new norm': Professor Linda Woodhead, professor at Lancaster University

The results of the survey will be revealed on Tuesday by Linda Woodhead, a professor in the sociology of religion at Lancaster University, at a lecture titled 'Why No Religion is the New Religion'.

'No religion is the new norm,' says Professor Woodhead, 'and there is every indication that its majority share will continue to grow.'

'In terms of upbringing, no religion is particularly stick. We can see that 95 per cent of people with a "no religion" upbringing retain that identity, whilst 40 per cent of those with a Christian upbringing lose a Christian identity.'

But while the number of non-religious Britons is on the rise, it does not mean the country is full of atheists.

Only 13 per cent of 'nones' hold anti-religious views in the style of Richard Dawkins and 11 per cent consider themselves 'spiritual'.

Professor Woodhead adds the rise of the 'nones' can be put down both to the fact that people have become less religious, and that the churches have become more so - creating a greater divide.

She said: 'It used to be quite common for people to identify as Church of England simply because they were English, but now they're more to think of themselves as having no religion.'