London, England - SCOTLAND is now the most secular part of the UK.
Herald readers have reinforced the findings of the 2001 census that Scots are more likely than people in England, Wales or Northern Ireland to say they have no religion. Despite this, they overwhelmingly regard themselves as spiritual, with a majority believing in God.
Replies to a questionnaire on spirituality and religious belief in the Health and Wellbeing supplement were closely divided between those who are practising members of a religion (53.4%) and those who are not (45.7%).
In the census, 27.5% of Scots said they had no religion, compared with a UK average of 15.4%.
The Herald's figure of 45.7% of people with no religion (from a total of 970 responses) is startling, according to Callum Brown, professor of religious and cultural history at Dundee University.
"The figure suggests Scotland is a leading part of the very pronounced collapse of traditional Christian culture in Europe. In a recent survey of the people of the EU, 42% claimed that religion did not occupy an important place in their life," he said.
The Herald figure is all the more surprising because in a group choosing to respond to questions on religion, the proportion of non-believers might be expected to be lower.
Outwith the aspect of organised religion, 70.9% of respondents described themselves as spiritual; 60.5% said they believe in God; 67.7% in a higher life force; and 62.9% in life after death.
Significantly more people (61.3%) favoured a religious funeral than the 53.4% who were practising members of a religion. That was seen as reflecting reality by Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland.
"The demise of religious belief in Scotland has been, as this survey shows, greatly exaggerated. Belief in God clearly remains a fundamental truth for an overwhelming majority of Scots. Importantly, belief and practice are not the same thing. Many more believe than actively worship and this does not mean that religion is dead.
"In politics, many more believe in democracy than turn out to vote, but no-one claims democracy is dead. Believing in God continues to be a bedrock issue for most Scots. The challenge for the churches is to build on this belief."
That was echoed by the Rev Alex Millar, who is involved with mission and evangelism at the Church of Scotland. "There is at large a spiritual search being conducted by modern men and women in search of happiness and fulfilment which materialism does not offer.
"The old pattern of measuring religious affiliation is not necessarily the best indication of the strength of religion. Parish ministers up and down the country increasingly have people attending regularly, but who don't belong in the formal sense of membership."