The over-representation of non-Christian religions

According to the 2001 census for Scotland and 2011 social surveys (YouGov and the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey) non-Christian religions have the adherence of 2 per cent of the Scottish population. Yet they filled 13 per cent of all appearances in TFR from 1999 to the end of June 2013.

The 2001 census recorded 42,000 Muslims in Scotland. On a representative statistical basis a Muslim representative should have appeared at TFR about once every four years or on three or four occasions during the 14 years of TFR. In fact there have been 19 appearances - a degree of over-representation of a factor of almost 5 times.

If Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs, all of which had numbers of adherents in the 6-7,000 range recorded in a Scottish population of just over 5 million in 2001, appeared at TFR with due statistical representativeness, they would each appear at one of each of 833 occasions or once every 21 years. At the most, then, each of these faiths should have had one appearance in the 14 years of TFR to June 2013. 

But Jews have had 15 appearances, Hindus 7, Buddhists 11 and Sikhs 8

The considerable over-representation of these non-Christian faiths in Time for Reflection can seen as a measure of their disproportionate access to a major arena of power in Scotland and the degree to which members of the Scottish Parliament misperceive the people that they represent.