Berkley Center

Despite creating (rather infamously) its own religion over 400 years ago, England has seen a decrease in religiosity among its population. In January, the Church of England’s weekly attendance fell below one million for the first time. Statistics show the number of individuals in the United Kingdom who do not hold religious beliefs comprises the majority of the U.K. population, and this number is steadily increasing. In another study, 71.2 percent of participants did not think it was important to be Christian in order to be considered British. With religion falling out of popularity, there has been an unexpected replacement to take its spot.

Enter the National Health Service.

Born in 1948, the National Health Service (NHS) was founded under the idea that good healthcare should be available to all, with the ideals of being comprehensive, free, and universal. Despite its evolution throughout the years, it has more or less held up to these standards (some fees for services like prescriptions and dentist visits do not make it completely free). Its foundation is viewed as a fundamental shift in healthcare from limiting access to those who are only able to afford it to making it accessible to anyone, regardless of ability to pay. It is seen as one of the milestones in making England a “civilized socio-democratic society.”

The NHS is almost universally beloved in England. In British Future’s 2013 State of the Nation report, the NHS was the thing people ranked the highest as proud to make them British. A fellow classmate has told me that saying something bad about the NHS is “basically sacrilege.” Another time, a couple in Wales was telling me about the husband’s struggle with cancer and their difficulty in securing treatment, but were quick to defend the NHS when I questioned if it was not as perfect as every Briton makes it out to be. And who can forget the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympics, in which Danny Boyle featured the NHS alongside symbols of “British-ness”:  the red omnibuses of London, the Queen, and James Bond?

I believe Alan Maryon-Davis, an employee of the NHS for 40 years, sums up the English attitude toward the NHS almost perfectly: “We love our NHS, despite its failings. We trust it, we depend on it, and we know it will be there for us when we need it. We appreciate it and respect its fundamental principles of fairness and universality—free to all at the point of use. And symbolically, we cherish it alongside the Army and the Royal Family as truly great British icons. The NHS is very much part of our nation’s DNA.”

While the popularity of religion is declining in England, the popularity of the NHS is remaining at high levels. It has the proverbial faith of the English people, who depend on it for a kind of salvation. As one radio caller stated, “The NHS is far more important than a religion—it is about life and death.”

Perhaps the NHS has taken the new place of England’s national religion. Or perhaps it has superseded it.