Abstract

        "People have different ways of dealing with stress. Thinking about the ways you deal with stress, please tell me how often you do each of the following... How often do you pray or seek spiritual help to deal with stress?" The answers to this question and many others by 37,000 in 2002 provide the data for detailed studies on the extent and impact of prayer in the lives of Canadians.

        In 2002, 40% of Canada's 24.9 million adults aged 15 and over claim to never pray in order to deal with stress, 16% rarely pray, 20% sometimes pray, and the remaining 24% often pray - called the frequent prayer rate.

        Regionally, the frequent prayer rate varies little, from 22% in Quebec to 27% in Manitoba and New Brunswick, and, among metro areas for which we have estimates, from 21% in Vancouver, Calgary, and Ottawa-Hull, to 32% in St. Catherines.

        The frequent prayer rate increases strongly and consistently with age - it is 12% for the teens aged 15 to 19, 28% for the 50 to 54 year olds, and 43% for those 80 plus. This rate is twice as high for women than men, 32% versus 16%.

        It also varies considerably by marital status: 12% for those living common-law, 16% for the single, never married population, 27% for those married, 32% for the divorced, and 46% for the widowed population.

        Among faith communities, the lowest frequent prayer rates are for United Church affiliates, Anglicans, and those not stating their affiliation, 18% to 19%, while the highest rates are for Jehovah's Witnesses, 69%, Pentecostals, 62%, and Muslims, 50%.

        Of those with chronic health problems the frequent prayer rate is higher than average, and of the health problems for which we have data, the rate ranges from 24% of those with asthma to 41% of those with cancer.

        Those who have had high health risk behaviours tend to have higher frequent prayer rates - 15% for those who have smoked marijuana more than once, compared with 30% of those who have never smoked marijuana, for example, and similar results hold for drinkers, smokers and gamblers. Those who have attempted suicide, however, have a higher frequent prayer rate than those who have not, 32% versus 24%.

        The frequent prayer rated tends to fall with income, and hours worked per week.

        The female-to-male ratio of the frequent prayer rates is lowest in Ontario and highest in Nova Scotia, 274%. It is relatively low among Jehovah's Witnesses and Pentecostals, and high among United Church affiliates, Presbyterians and French Catholics.

        Holding constant the effect of other variables by means of regression analysis, being female, age, and education are factors found to be associated with the intensity of prayer to deal with stress in several subpopulations of 43 subgroups examined.

        A history of marijuana smoking is found to be associated with lower commitment to prayer in several groups examined. Hours of sleep is unassociated with prayer.

        When compared with liberal Protestants, most subgroups of non-French Roman Catholics, and non-Christians are more committed to prayer, along with some subgroups of French Roman Catholics and all subgroups of conservative Christians. Liberal Protestants are more committed to prayer than most subgroups of the unaffiliated.

        There is a tendency for the commitment to prayer to be stronger in Ontario than in Quebec and British Columbia, weaker in Manitoba/Saskatchewan, and about the same in Alberta, after correcting for the variation in the other factors.