Young Hindus more likely to reach university

More than three in four – 77 per cent – youngsters who describe themselves as Hindu go into higher education, according to statistics gathered for the Department for Education (DfE).

In comparison, less than half – 45 per cent – of those that consider themselves Christian go to university.

The figures are drawn from the Longitudinal Survey of Young People in England, which questioned thousands of teenagers for the study.

The findings also show that almost two thirds – 63 per cent – of Sikh youngsters choose to take degree courses, along with more than half of young Muslims – 53 per cent.

Just under a third of those who give their religion as “none” go to university.

Overall, young people with a religion at age 15 are more likely to be in higher education at age 19 than those without, regardless of their faith, the survey found.