Purim is celebrated by nearly half of British Jews, but it's particularly attractive to young people and to young families
Dr David Graham
In this report:
For the first time, this short factsheet report shares data on Purim observance in the UK. The report is based on the responses of over 4,800 adult British Jews to the JPR 2025 Jews in Uncertain Times Survey. It compares Purim observance with that of other Jewish holidays and festivals, and measures which types of Jews are most and least likely to celebrate Purim.
Some of the key findings in this report:
- Just under half (49%) of respondents reported celebrating Purim in some way in 2025, making Purim one of the least widely observed festivals, compared with other main Jewish festivals such as Passover, Chanukah and Rosh Hashanah.
- Younger people are far more likely to celebrate Purim than older people, with those aged 16–29 most likely to report doing so (63%)
- Participation rises steadily with household size: 43% among two-person households, rising to 73% among five-person households.
- Households with school-age children are more likely to celebrate Purim than those without, and those with children in Jewish schools are more likely to do so than those with children in non-Jewish schools.
- Synagogue members and those who attend a synagogue are much more likely to mark Purim than those who do not belong to a synagogue.
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Dr David Graham
Senior Research Fellow
Dr David Graham
Senior Research Fellow
David is a Senior Research Fellow at JPR, an Honorary Associate at the Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies at the University of Sydney...
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