How, when and why you pray?
Just over half of adults in the UK pray at some time – but more and more of us are praying ‘on the go’, according to a ComRes poll* for Tearfund.
Our busy schedules and lifestyles mean fewer of us have time to set aside specifically for prayer, preferring now to incorporate our prayers into our daily routines, eg while exercising, cooking or travelling.
When we can set time aside, our favourite times to pray are when waking up or just before going to sleep – around a third of those who pray do so at those times.
Fewer people are going to church regularly – 9% say they attend at least once a month, though more than 30% say they attend church at least once a year.
Our most popular reasons for praying are for family (71%), thanking God (42%), healing (40% and friends (40%). Only 21% said the subject of their prayers was wider issues, such as poverty and natural disasters.
Among those who say they have ever prayed, but have no religious affiliation, their top reasons for praying were: in times of personal crisis or tragedy (55%), on the off chance that something could change (32%), as a last resort (24%), or to gain comfort or feel less lonely (23%).
*Based on a survey of 2,069 adults in the UK.
Your prayers
So how do you pray?
Do you set time aside for prayer or do you pray on the go? Why do you pray – and for whom? And how important is it for you to have a prayer routine?
Share your thoughts with us here and tell us what prayer means to you:
And listen out for the Bishop of Repton, the Rt Revd Jan McFarlane, talking about our prayer habits, next Sunday (21st Jan) on BBC Radio Derby.
