Two thirds of residents (67%) say they only attend on special occasions, such as weddings, baptisms and funerals.

Vancouver, BC [April 18, 2019] – Most residents of British Columbia believe or tend to believe that God is real, but significantly fewer actively participate in religious ceremonies, a new Research Co. poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 39% of British Columbians are “convinced” that God exists, while 22% “tend to believe” that God exists.

Conversely, 16% of residents are “convinced” that God does not exist, and 13% “tend to believe” that God does not exist.

Women are more likely to be “convinced” that God exists than men (43% to 35%). British Columbians aged 55 and over are also more likely to be “convinced” about God’s existence (45%) than those aged 35-to-54 (38%) and those aged 18-to-34 (32%).

Two thirds of British Columbians (67%) say they never attend religious services other than weddings, baptisms or funerals.

Only 3% of British Columbians attend services “at least once a week”, while 13% visit a church, temple or synagogue “at least once a month.”

Similar proportions of British Columbians acknowledge having meditated (27%) or prayed to God (24%) over the past 12 months.

Just over one-in-ten British Columbians (11%) visited a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or a psychologist, and slightly fewer (7%) consulted with a “life coach” to help identify personal goals.

Only 2% of residents say they confessed or sought advice from a religious figure.

Methodology:



Results are based on an online study conducted from April 4 to April 7, 2019, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.



Find our full data set here and download the press release here.

Photo Credit: Colin Knowles



For more information on this poll, please contact:

Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.

[c] 778.929.0490

[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca



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