Scant majority feels Williams has led well

Results from a recent BBC survey, released  Sept. 26, show that 53 per cent of respondents felt Archbishop Rowan Williams has been a good leader of the Church of England (CofE). Fifteen per cent disagreed and 32 per cent did not know.

Of those age 65 and older, 59 per cent said they felt that Williams has been a good CofE leader.

As the Crown Nomination Commission met the same day to discuss possible successors to the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury, pollsters reported that 46 per cent of respondents agreed that Williams has helped to make the CofE remain relevant in modern Britain. Some 27 per cent disagreed and the same proportion did not know.

The telephone survey of 2,594 adults, conducted for the BBC by ComRes in August and September, also asked if people thought Williams has been clear in stating what he believes and why. According to the poll, 55 per cent agreed that he has, with only 16 per cent disagreeing and 29 per cent not knowing.

Williams explains some of his views in a penetrating new book, Faith in the Public Square, published this month by Continuum. For more information on the poll, go to www.comresco.uk.