One-fifth of non-religious Britons turn to prayer in a crisis, survey reveals

A new survey has found that one in five British adults turn to prayer in a time of crisis despite saying they are not religious.

The poll, conducted by ComRes for Christian humanitarian charity Tearfund, has revealed that 51 percent of British adults pray, and are increasingly likely to call on God while engaging in activities like cooking or exercising.

One in three Britons pray in a place of worship and a third pray before going to sleep or on waking, while some combine prayer with daily activities. A fifth of the respondents say they pray while cooking or doing other household chores. Fifteen percent pray while traveling, and 12 percent pray while exercising or pursuing other leisurely activities.

Tearfund said that the findings were an encouraging reminder that people still recognize the importance of prayer.

"I found that really encouraging because it shows God is on the move whether people recognise him themselves personally or not," Rev. Virginia Luckett, Tearfund's UK churches team director, told Premier.

Four in 10 Britons believe that prayer changes the world, and a similar number says it makes them feel better. However, only less than half of the respondents who pray said that they believe God hears their prayers, suggesting that a slim majority feel that their pleas to God are not answered.

Among the non-religious Britons who pray, 55 percent said that personal crisis or tragedy is the most common reason for praying. Thirty-two percent say prayers banking on the chance that something could change, while 24 percent said they pray as a last resort. A fourth of non-religious respondents who pray said they do it in order to gain comfort or feel less lonely.

The findings also indicated that women are more likely to pray than men, and although half of Britons pray, very few of them attend church regularly. Only nine percent attend church services at least once a month.

Family has been ranked as the number one topic of prayers at 71 percent, followed by thanking God at 42 percent, praying for healing at 40 percent, and praying for friends at 40 percent.

Worldwide issues, such as poverty or natural disasters, ranked seventh on the list of subjects of prayers, with 24 percent.

"Prayer is absolutely essential to our work. We don't believe we could tackle global poverty without prayer. We understand the root cause of poverty is broken relationships... and we know it's only Jesus Christ that can truly change people's hearts and minds," Luckett said.

As part of its 50th anniversary, Tearfund is inviting to people to join its efforts to raise one million prayers this year to help end extreme poverty.