Abstract

The purpose of this study is to present detailed profiles of the main religious and non-religious groups in Canada, and preliminary comparisons and contrasts, and analyses. The Canadian Community Health Survey of 2002 allows this to be done in a comprehensive fashion because of its large sample of 37,000 and detailed content relating to the health of the body, mind and spirit, and many other quality of life variables.

Distinguishing marks of some of the groups assessed included the following:
      French Roman Catholics have the highest percentage of persons living common-law, who never cope with stress by exercising or jogging, who never gambled, and persons not in the labour force. They have the lowest percentage of those dissatisfied with their life, former gamblers (tied), and those who have had a fear of being overweight in the past year,
      Anglicans have the highest percentage of persons not worshipping at all in the past year, and those who never cope with stress by praying or seeking spiritual help (tied). They have the lowest percentage of weekly worshippers, of non-drinkers ever (tied), former gamblers (tied), and persons unemployed (tied).
      Presbyterians have the highest percentage of those very satisfied with life in general, who felt loved and appreciated during the past month, and who have the highest household income adequacy. They have the lowest percentage of parents, persons living common law (tied), who found most days quite a bit or extremely stressful in the past month, who are unemployed (tied), and those working weekends (tied).
      Pentecostals have the highest percentage of parents, former drinkers, and those working weekends (tied). They have the lowest percentage of persons not worshipping at all in the past year, those who never cope with stress by drinking more alcohol (tied), those who never cope with stress by praying or seeking spiritual help, users of illicit drugs past year (tied), and persons who never gambled.
      The religiously unaffiliated who pray have the highest percentage of separated persons (tied), of persons who have the lowest household income adequacy (tied), and persons not working weekends. They have the lowest percentage of widowed persons (tied), those who never cope with stress by drinking more alcohol (tied), who never cope with stress by exercising or jogging, and who felt loved and appreciated during the past month.

      Analytical results contrasting each members and non-members of each faith community are presented for women, men, parents, mothers, fathers, the employed, employed women, employed men, married, common-law, separated/divorced, and single populations, a total of 239 regressions. The contrasts are with respect to age, sex, education, worship frequency, lifetime use of marijuana, hours of sleep, and region of residence. In contrast to their other Canadian counterparts, and holding constant other factors, for example, parents in the following faith communities worship more frequently: conservative Christians, Baptists, Pentecostals, Jehovah's Witnesses, smaller Christian faiths, non-Christians, Moslems, Sikhs, and non-French Roman Catholics. Liberal Protestants, United Church affiliates, Anglicans, Lutherans, French Catholics and Buddhists worship less frequently, while Presbyterians, Eastern Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholics, Hindus and Jews worship no more or less frequently.