God is good news: Official survey says faith makes people happier
by Ros Mayfield, Premier:
God is good for you – that’s the verdict of people in Britain, according to a survey out today. It found those identifying as religious were on average 20 per cent happier and more satisfied with life than atheists or those who are less devout.
The study, titled ‘Keep the Faith: Mental Health in the UK’ produced by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life reveals that people of faith in Britain are significantly more happy than atheists and non-religious people.
Dr Jake Scott at IIFL, who’s a Christian, tells Premier, the results are encouraging, especially in the current climate, where faith groups around the world are in conflict. “There’s a lot of fantastic work being done by groups like Alpha and of course by the Archbishops [of Canterbury and York]. This finding really should be a signal that there’s more shared between faiths than we realise.”
The Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life is a research forum established to examine the role that faith and religious belief plays in the lives of people in the UK, whether at work, at home, or in the community.
They analysed the figures, which were gathered from over 2,000 adults, during a 10 day period at the end of September, and found that on key metrics Brits who identify as more religious report a higher level of mental wellbeing:
• 76% describe themselves as happy, compared to 52% for atheists.
• 76% are satisfied with life, compared to 53% for atheists.
• 73% say they have ‘good psychological wellbeing,’ compared to 49% for atheists.
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