During the quarantine, residents of the UK began to pray more often

According to the results of a study conducted by the sociological center Savanta ComRes and commissioned by the Christian charitable foundation Tearfund, more and more British residents turn to God in prayer during the government's quarantine in connection with the spread of coronavirus. At least 44% of the country's population offer daily prayers for health and relief from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Sedmitsa.RU clarifies with reference to The Christian Post, the poll was conducted from April 24 to April 27. Every fifth of the respondents not only prays himself, but at least once turned to a fellow believer with a request for prayer. Also, every fifth respondent during self-isolation read books and other texts of spiritual content.

“It is encouraging that more and more people in the UK are turning to prayer during this difficult time. Our experience at Tearfund is that prayer and practice go hand in hand, both helping a person to cope with adversity. As the incidence of COVID-19 continues to rise around the world, we urge more believers to increasingly pray and act to save everyone from adversity, ”says Ruth Valerio. Valerio, Director of the Foundation for International Advocacy and Education.

Of the UK residents surveyed, more than half (53%) pray for family and friends, and 27% pray to the Lord God for healthcare workers, volunteers and others who are at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus. About 20% of the respondents pray for compatriots who are already sick, and every sixth - for those who are currently struggling with the disease in other countries.

“Among those who pray, two thirds (66%) believe that the Lord hears their prayers, and more than half (56%) are confident that prayer can change the world. Half of those praying (51%) meet in life evidence that their prayer has been answered, and more than two-fifths (43%) are confident that their prayer can change the life of the unfortunate people living in poverty in developing countries for the better, ' in the report.

The question of motivation is also interesting. 45% of the respondents said that they pray because they believe in God; 33% believe that prayer has the highest incomprehensible meaning. 26% said that prayer helps them to improve their sense of self in the current difficult times, 24% noted that turning to God helps 'calm the soul or feel less alone in the world.'

Among British youth of both sexes between the ages of 18 and 24, a quarter of those surveyed pray that the authorities of Great Britain and the United States coped with the pandemic. It also turned out that since the introduction of the quarantine and self-isolation regime, men began to watch and listen to broadcasts of church services more often than women.