Religious people 'happier and less stressed than non-believers during Covid-19 pandemic'

Religious people coped much better during the Covid-19 pandemic than non-believers, according to a new study. Researchers found those with faith experienced much less unhappiness and stress during the pandemic, with mental health decline being 60 per cent worse for non-religious people.

The research team believe religion may protect people from increased distress and reduced wellbeing in times of crisis. To get their results the University of Cambridge researchers studied data from people in both the UK and US throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the UK study, the team analysed data from 3,884 people during the first two national lockdowns. They found while lockdowns were associated with a universal uptick in unhappiness, the average increase in feeling miserable was 29 per cent lower for people who described themselves as belonging to a religion.Professor Sriya Iyer, of Cambridge's Faculty of Economics, said: "Religious beliefs may be used by some as psychological resources that can shore up self-esteem and add coping skills, combined with practices that provide social support"The pandemic presented an opportunity to glean further evidence of this in both the United Kingdom and the United States, two nations characterised by enormous religious diversity."The team also looked at the extent of individual's commitment to their faith and how central it is to their lives.

They saw those who said religion makes some or a great difference in their lives had around half the increase in unhappiness seen for those who find it makes little or no difference.Professor Shaun Larcom, of Cambridge's Department of Land Economy, said: "Selection biases make the wellbeing effects of religion difficult to study.