ONLY a third of young Scots now describe themselves as being religious, according to new research published today.
About 70 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds say they were not brought up in any religion, compared to nearly half of 25 to 44-year-olds.
The Scottish Executive's findings show that among 16 to 24-year-olds cohabiting is four times more common than marriage.
Of nearly 8000 people interviewed for the Scottish Households Survey two thirds were either married or living with a spouse or partner. About 55 per cent of all adults were married.
The survey, conducted across a random sample of people between January and June 2001, is aimed at discovering the differences and similarities between adults of various age groups.
Among the other issues it looked at were attitudes to neighbourhood problems, experiences of crime, disability and internet access.
A spokesman for the Scottish Catholic Church said: "Marriage is not only much more common than co-habiting, as these figures show, but it is a much more stable environment for children to grow up in.
"Latest research shows that more than half of co-habitees split within five years of the birth of a child."