Note: This article originally appeared under a different headline and summary which read "Christians less generous than their clergy and everyone else: Christian thinktank finds widespread evidence that church-goers are hostile to benefits claimants". This did not reflecct our research or publication and Theos asked The Guardian to amend the headline, summary and parts of the article to better distinguish between the findings of Theos research and findings from other sources. We also pointed out several places where we disagree with the interpretation of the findings. The Guardian agreed to amend the headline and summary as above and to print a correction in their 'Corrections and Clarifications' column.

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Large numbers of churchgoers think spending on social security should be reduced

Christians are much more hostile to welfare recipients than their bishops, according to research which suggests that large numbers believe spending on social security should be reduced.

In a separate study, the Christian thinktank Theos found a widespread belief among those surveyed that the poor are to blame for the perceived woes of the welfare system, putting ordinary Christians at odds with bishops who have been protesting about the effect of government cuts. The report said that 90% of the 2,000 people surveyed believed the welfare state was facing severe problems, slightly higher than the proportion of the general public, at 87%.

More than half of the Christians worried about the future of the welfare state put the blame on people falsely claiming benefit, on "benefit tourists" or just on the EU "for opening up borders"."

The Theos poll does not distinguish between Christian denominations, but a larger sample polled for Professor Linda Woodhead, a Lancaster University sociologist, makes it clear that members of the Church of England are much more hostile to benefit claimants than their bishops or clergy; and more hostile than Roman Catholics, too.

Read the full article at guardian.co.uk