‘Lord's Prayer better recognised than national anthem, Churchill or Shakespeare'

The Herald Scotland

06-06-2025

Of just over 2,000 people across the UK asked last month – in polling commissioned by the Church of England – 80.3% correctly recognised the line 'Give us this day our daily bread' was from the ancient prayer.
This came just ahead of Star Wars, with 79.9% recognising the line 'May the force be with you' came from the films.
Of all those polled, 89% said they had heard of the Lord's Prayer or the Our Father, with 88% of those who identified themselves as having no religion still having heard of the prayer.
When it came to other famous lines from history, 'To be or not to be' from Shakespeare's Hamlet play was recognised by just under three-quarters (73%) of respondents, while fewer than two thirds (63%) correctly matched the lines 'happy and glorious, long to reign over us' as being from Britain's national anthem, God Save The King.
Around six in 10 (61%) respondents recognised the line 'Never in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few' from Churchill's 1940 speech to MPs in Parliament.
More than half (58%) recognised 'You'll never walk alone' as being from the song by Gerry and the Pacemakers, and is the adopted anthem for Liverpool football club.
Fewer people recognised an extract from the British national anthem (Aaron Chown/PA)
Least well-known of the seven extracts from famous works given were the lines 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times' from Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, matched correctly by just 39% of people.
The findings also showed that 16% of those surveyed said they had not heard of the national anthem lines, while 14% said they had not heard of the line 'You'll never walk alone'.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said the findings suggest the prayer remains a 'steady guide' and something which continues to 'resonate with people of all faiths and none'.
Mr Cottrell is leading a 'tour' of events at churches and cathedrals across the north of England as part of his Faith In The North initiative, with a focus on the prayer.
He said: 'These results reflect what we've been hearing across the north of England through our Faith In The North initiative, which invites people to explore the Lord's Prayer.
'Though ancient, its words continue to resonate with people of all faiths and none.
'In a world of shifting cultures and changing circumstances, the Lord's Prayer remains a steady guide – perhaps never more so than now.
'Lines like 'Give us this day our daily bread' speak powerfully to today's challenges, reminding us to seek sufficiency, not excess, and to consider what 'enough' truly means.'
The polling comes ahead of the Thy Kingdom Come prayer movement finishing this Pentecost Sunday, with events taking place in churches across the globe.
– Pollster Savanta interviewed 2,035 UK respondents online between May 23 and 26 and said data was weighted to be representative of the general public by age, gender, region and ethnicity.