Americans tend to pray on their own and silently, according to a new poll.
The Barna survey of more than 1,000 adults in the US, most of whom identified as Christians or past Christians, found that 79 per cent of respondants said they had prayed at least once in the three months prior to June. Of those who did, 94 per cent chose to pray by themselves and 82 per cent said they prayed silently compared to just 13 per cent who said they prayed out loud when alone.
Only two per cent said they prayed audibly with another person or group and the same percentage said they prayed collectively in a church.
Other findings showed that 62 per cent of those who pray cited “gratitude and thanksgiving” as a key reason, followed by the needs of their family and community (61 per cent), personal guidance in a time of crisis (49 per cent), their own health and wellness (47 per cent), and confession and forgiveness (43 per cent). Twenty-four per cent said the content of their prayers most often pertained to concerns about the nation or government while 20 per cent cited concerns about global problems and injustices as a key motivation.
The survey showed some significant differences among responses as a result of generational differences. Sixty-eight per cent of ‘Elders’ prayed for personal health and wellness compared with 38 per cent of Millennials while 19 per cent of people with children under 18 prayed for ther sleep compared to nine per cent of people without children aged under 18.
When asked who they prayed to, 90 per cent of respondants said God, fifty per cent said Jesus and 23 per cent said the Holy Spirit. People who weren’t Christians were more inclined than any other group to pray to a “higher power” not specifically associated with any religion.