A third of the 44 per cent of UK adults who pray say they have done so since the coronavirus lockdown because they believe it makes a difference, according to the findings of a nationwide poll.
The poll, which was commissioned by Christian relief and development agency Tearfund, also found that 24 per cent of UK adults have watched or listened to a religious service – whether on the radio, live on TV, on demand or streamed online – since lockdown (a figure which jumps to 76 per cent among regular churchgoers) while one in 20 UK adults say they have watched or listened to a religious service since the lockdown but have never gone to church.
Some 44 per cent of UK adults say they pray, according to the Savanta ComRes poll. PICTURE: Ben White/Unsplash
Other findings showed that since the lockdown started, 18 per cent of UK adults say they have asked someone else to say a prayer and 19 per cent say they have read a religious text.
Of those who say they pray, 53 per cent say they’ve prayed about family members, 27 per cent say they have prayed for frontline services and 20 per cent say they have prayed for someone who is unwell with COVID-19 while some 15 per cent say they have prayed for other countries which are also battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two-thirds of those who pray agree God hears their prayers and 56 per cent agree prayer changes the world. Just over half of those who pray – 51 per cent – say they’ve witnessed answers to their own prayers while 43 per cent agree that their prayer changes the lives of people living in poverty in developing countries.
While 44 per cent of UK adults say they pray, some 26 per cent say they do so at least once a month.
Dr Ruth Valerio, global advocacy and influencing director at Tearfund said it was “encouraging” to see the number of people in the UK praying.
“Our experience at Tearfund is that prayer and practical action go hand-in-hand, and are both crucial ways of responding,” she said. “With COVID-19 rates continuing to rise around the world, we are calling more people to pray and take action.”
The poll was carried out by Savanta ComRes between 24th and 27th April and involved 2,101 UK adults. About half of the respondents identified as Christian while 39 per cent said they had no religion or didn’t want to say.
