In 1947, a Gallup poll asked the British public if they believed in life after death. Of the 49% who did, 3% thought it took the form of reincarnation. In contrast, some current polls show that 33% of believers in life after death support reincarnation.
This sharp increase has not been explained, but must owe something to Asian immigration, general public exposure to Buddhism and Hinduism, and the emergence of the New Age movement from older groups like Spiritualism and Theosophy.
However, in July 1997 the main UK spiritualist group, which has 382 churches, warned its exponents that reincarnation was not part of their beliefs and should not feature in platform addresses.
