Praying Away the Coronavirus

Most Americans say they are using prayer as a way to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. The 55 percent majority of the public reports praying at least weekly as a way to cope, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The percentage who say they pray daily as a coping mechanism (43 percent) far surpasses the percentage who say they never pray (31 percent). Older adults are most likely to use prayer to help them cope with the pandemic...

Percent who pray at least weekly to help cope with the coronavirus outbreak
Aged 18 to 29: 38%
Aged 30 to 49: 51%
Aged 50 to 64: 64%
Aged 65-plus: 67%

Younger adults are more likely to exercise than pray as a way to cope with the pandemic, with 61 to 62 percent of people under age 50 engaging in exercise as a coping mechanism at least once a week. Adults aged 50 or older depend on prayer and exercise about equally.

Regardless of age, watching TV is the number-one coping mechanism, followed by spending time outdoors. Fully 89 percent of the public reports watching TV or movies at least weekly to get through these strange days, and 84 percent report spending time outdoors.

Source: Pew Research Center, U.S. Adults Regularly Turn to a Variety of Activities to Help Cope with Coronavirus Outbreak