One of the largest ever socio-economic studies of British Muslims reveals hidden hunger, widespread debt, a generosity that defies the hardship – and a dramatic collapse in the feeling of belonging.
In 2016, an Ipsos MORI survey found that 93% of British Muslims felt they strongly belonged to the UK. Nine in ten.
In our study of 4,800 British Muslims – conducted in partnership with Islamic Relief UK and the National Zakat Foundation – that figure has fallen to 51.9%. Barely one in two.
Something has changed. This report sets out to understand what, and why.
What we found
This report is one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind: 4,800 respondents surveyed across January-February 2026, a margin of error of just 1.4%, and a dataset that cuts across gender, age, ethnicity, income, and region. It tells a story in three parts: financial hardship that is far more widespread than it appears, a culture of giving that is extraordinary but poorly matched to local need, and a growing unease about what it means to be Muslim in Britain today.
Hidden poverty, hiding in plain sight
The headline income figures for British Muslims look reassuring. The average household in our sample earns £65,358 – 48% above the UK average. But British Muslim households are also 71% larger. When you divide income by the number of people it has to support, the picture inverts: income per person is £16,294, which is 8% below the national average. Over half the sample falls below the relative poverty threshold when measured this way.
That gap shows up in every financial measure we tracked:
- 29.4% struggled to afford at least one household bill in the past year
- 43% relied on borrowing – credit cards, family loans, Buy Now Pay Later – to cover everyday costs, far above the UK average of 17%
- 1 in 12 missed meals due to financial difficulty, including 6% of those in full-time work
- Among Black Muslims, 1 in 5 went hungry in the past year
A community that gives but won’t ask
80.7% of respondents paid Zakat in the past year – an extraordinarily high rate reflecting deep religious commitment. But nearly half (45.7%) sent their Zakat exclusively outside the UK, meaning millions in charitable giving leaves the country while local need goes unmet.
At the same time, the uptake of support is strikingly low. Only 2% of the entire sample requested Zakat or emergency charitable support. Among those struggling with bills, just 4.5% asked for help. 63% of those who went hungry didn’t use a food bank. When people did seek support, they turned first to family or local councils. Zakat organisations were utilised by just 4.2%.
The barriers are clear: stigma, lack of awareness, and a deep discomfort with asking. Among the small number who did ask, nearly two-thirds said they felt uncomfortable doing so.
The toll on mental health and faith
Nearly half (46.6%) say their finances have negatively affected their mental wellbeing. Among 18-24 year olds, that rises to 57%. Among those struggling with bills, it reaches 84%.
One of the most distinctive findings in this study concerns faith. Over a third (32.1%) say financial pressure has strengthened their relationship with their faith – nearly four times the number who say it has weakened it. For most, faith is functioning as resilience. But among those who missed meals, 23.8% say financial hardship has weakened their faith. For a significant minority, the spiritual foundation they rely on to cope is fracturing under the weight of material need.
Belonging, safety, and the future
And then there is the finding that gives this report its name. 59.3% of respondents feel negative about their future in the UK. Only 7.8% feel positive. Among 45-54 year olds – the generation with the longest investment in this country, careers built, mortgages taken, children raised here – 69.7% feel negative.
Rising Islamophobia, political hostility, job insecurity, and feeling unwelcome were the dominant concerns in the open-ended responses. Nearly 1 in 7 Muslim women feel unsafe where they live. Among those in social housing, 18.5% feel unsafe.
As Dr Sohail Hanif, Chief Executive of the National Zakat Foundation, puts it:
“What’s clear in the 2026 Muslim Census survey is a shared sense of uncertainty and a feeling that trust between communities has weakened in recent years. This isn’t something felt just by Muslims, but across communities more broadly. Rebuilding trust and strengthening British Muslims’ sense of belonging in the UK will take time and effort, but it’s essential if communities are to feel connected, confident, and hopeful about the future.”
What the community is saying
1,624 respondents used the open-ended field to share their experiences in their own words. The themes were consistent and powerful: rising Islamophobia and fear, a call to bring Zakat spending home, the squeeze on middle-income families with large households, the vulnerability of Muslim women, fears for the next generation, and the isolation of disabled Muslims.
A few voices stand out:
“Five generations of my family have lived in this country yet I feel it is more divided than ever.”
“I see many Muslims queuing up every Saturday at a local Christian Food Bank. I feel embarrassed and ashamed that we as a community are not helping these people.”
“Even though I’m a white revert and a British citizen with British ancestry I feel threatened by the rise of Reform. I am 74 years old.”
What this means
British Muslims are not a community in crisis. They are resilient, faithful, and remarkably generous. But this data reveals a community experiencing hidden need – masked by misleading income figures and divisive narratives – alongside a dramatic erosion in the sense of belonging that once defined British Muslim identity.
The challenge now is clear: for charities like Islamic Relief and NZF, to make Zakat work harder for local communities and to remove the barriers that prevent people from asking for help. For community leaders, to confront the stigma around financial difficulty. And for policymakers, to understand that a community where nearly 6 in 10 people feel negative about their future is a community that needs to be listened to, not spoken about.
The full report will be published soon. If you’d like to receive a copy of The Crisis of Belonging: Inside the Lives of British Muslims, or if you’re a journalist seeking an advance copy, please contact team@muslimcensus.co.uk