Faith is one way some people cope with crisis. But according to a new Pew Research survey of 14 countries, the coronavirus pandemic has not significantly boosted people’s faith.
Of the countries surveyed – all advanced economies with significant secular populations – Americans were most likely to say the pandemic made their faith stronger. But even in the United States, only 28 per cent reported a stronger personal faith as a result of COVID-19.
People line up next to the pews at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination site at St Luke’s Episcopal Church, on Tuesday, 26th January, in the Bronx borough of New York. PICTURE: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer.
COVID-19 has infected 100 million people worldwide and killed more than two million.
The survey, which was fielded this past summer, showed majorities or pluralities in all the countries surveyed did not feel their faith has been strengthened by the pandemic, including 68 per cent of US adults who say their own faith has not changed much.
Perhaps not surprisingly, nearly half of white evangelicals in the US (49 per cent) said their faith grew stronger due to the coronavirus outbreak – more than any other group. US Catholics came in second, with 35 per cent saying their faith increased. Among mainline Protestants, 21 per cent said their faith was bolstered by the pandemic, while five per cent of people who do not affiliate with any religion said their faith grew.
“Americans’ greater proclivity to turn to religion amid the pandemic is largely driven by the relatively high share of religious Americans,” the report said.
By contrast, in Denmark only two per cent said their faith had grown; in the UK 10 per cent said it had grown.
In times of crisis, people also turn to family. Researchers for the survey asked respondents if their relationships with immediate family members have grown. The survey found that among the 14 countries, a median of 32 per cent said relationships have grown stronger. Only eight per cent said the opposite.
In the US, young Americans, many of whom have moved back in with their parents, are more likely than their older counterparts to say their relationships with immediate family members have strengthened. Half of US adults ages 18 to 29 said their family bonds have tightened, compared with 38 per cent of those ages 50 and older.
The survey was conducted from 10th June to 3rd August, 2020, among 14,276 adults in 14 countries: the United States, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and South Korea.
