Twenty two per cent of UK Christians have said they struggle to speak openly about their beliefs.
A new YouGov poll for The Times has shown atheists are much more comfortable talking about matters of faith than Christians.
The survey questioned over 1,500 people on a host of issues to do with religion.
It found 19% claimed to be atheist, 7% agnostic, 3% humanist and 1% secularist. Christianity was by far the most represented belief system with 49% ticking that box.
There was a divide in ages with one in three under 24s declaring themselves to be atheists and just one in ten over 60s.
Giving analysis on the statistics in the newspaper, Nick Spencer from the religious think tank Theos said: "It reveals that four times as many people are comfortable telling others about their religious or non-religious identity as are uncomfortable.
"Second, it seems it is now Christians who are more uncomfortable talking about their faith. What does that mean? For non-believers it shows that prominent non-religious campaigns to 'come out' have worked, or were necessary."
In 2009, the British Humanist Association ran a bus campaign stating "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
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Article by Desmond Busteed
Desmond Busteed is a multimedia journalist for Premier.
