Canadians Are Reaching Out for Meaningful Soul Connections.
Do you consider yourself to be a “spiritual” person? What about a “religious” person? Well, according to a new OMNI-Maclean’s Poll conducted by Pollara, 58% of Canadians believe themselves to be religious while a whopping 70% claim to be spiritual. This could be due in part to the fact that many believe that organized religion sets limits on your beliefs while spirituality lets you define God or a higher power in your own personal way. Residents of British Columbia would agree; at 49% they are the least religious Canadians, but at 73 % are among the most spiritual. Spirituality is the least prevalent among Quebec residents, while Atlantic Canadians are the most “religious”.
While geography makes a difference in this issue, so do gender and age. Whereas religion is most prevalent among women and Canadians aged 55 years and older, spirituality is least common among young men aged 18-34.
Even in our apparent age of cynicism and superficiality, the majority of Canadians polled believe in the power of prayer. 62% of religious Canadians say they pray every day, 19% pray once a week and 16% pray less than once a week. Only 20% of Canadians polled said they have never prayed. While each person's prayer life will be different, reflecting the diversity of individual character, belief, emotional state, and daily life, prayer among non-religious Canadians is less frequent but still present at 49%. Prayer is more common among spiritual Canadians at 87%.
Prayer has long been considered as each individual's contribution to his/her faith. However, according to our poll, it seems more women than men are contributing, as 82% of women and 70% of men say they pray. Prayer is also least common among men between the ages of 18 and 34.
Religion, spirituality and prayer can all lead to the belief in a higher power. Approximately 36% of Canadians feel it is very important to believe in a higher power, while 17% remain neutral on the issue and 10% feel it is not at all important to believe. However, one-in-ten Canadians polled believe it is also very important for them to have an inner spiritual life. While just 7% feel it is personally not very important to them, Quebecers included. Quebec residents put a lower level of importance on believing in a higher power, whereas Atlantic Canadians place greater importance on both believing in a higher power and having an inner spiritual life. With age also comes an increase in the importance of believing in a higher power, but the relationship is less clear when considering an inner spiritual life.
Summary of Findings
In total, 1,259 interviews were conducted with Canadians 18 years of age and older across the country. In general, a sample of this size will provide results accurate nineteen times out of twenty.
The majority (58%) of Canadians report they are religious, while 40% indicate they do not consider themselves to be religious.
When it comes to spirituality, seven-in-ten (70%) Canadians claim to be spiritual. Only 27% report they are not spiritual.
| |
Religious %
|
Spiritual %
|
| Yes |
58 |
70 |
| No |
40 |
27 |
| Don’t Know/Refused |
2 |
2 |
Regionally, Atlantic Canadians (66%) are more religious than residents of other regions.
Residents of British Columbia (49%) are the least religious, but are among the most spiritual Canadians (73%). Spirituality is the least prevalent among Québec residents.
| Region |
Religious %
|
Spiritual %
|
| Total |
58 |
70 |
| Atlantic |
66 |
75 |
| Quebec |
58 |
65 |
| Ontario |
59 |
69 |
| Prairies |
62 |
76 |
| British Columbia |
49 |
73 |
One-fifth (42%) of Canadians pray everyday, while 19% pray once a week and 16% pray less than once a week. Two-in-ten (20%) Canadians never pray.
| |
% |
| Every Day |
42 |
| Once A Week |
19 |
| Less Than Once A Week |
16 |
| Never |
20 |
| Don’t Know/Refused |
3 |
Approximately one-third of Canadians identify the belief in a higher power as either very (36%) or somewhat (28%) important to them. Fewer report this belief as either not very (5%) or not at all (10%) important to them. Seventeen percent (17%) are neutral.
| |
Belief in a higher power %
|
Having an inner spiritual life %
|
| Very Important (10) |
36 |
26 |
| Somewhat Important (7-9) |
28 |
32 |
| Neutral (4-6) |
17 |
23 |
| Not Very Important (2-3) |
5 |
7 |
| Not At All Important (1) |
10 |
7 |
| Don’t Know/Refused |
3 |
5 |
| |
|
|
| Mean |
7.2 |
6.9 |
