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Cambridge, UK
New research from the University of Cambridge suggests that people of religious faith may have endured lower levels of unhappiness and stress compared to their non-religious counterparts during the Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.
Economists at the University argue that religion could serve as a bulwark against increased distress and reduced well-being during times of crisis, such as a global public health emergency. The study, led by Professor Shaun Larcom from Cambridge’s Department of Land Economy, delved into the impact of the pandemic on the mental well-being of individuals across different religious backgrounds.
The researchers discovered that, while lockdowns were universally associated with a rise in unhappiness, the average increase in misery was 29 percent lower for individuals who identified with a religious faith.
“Selection biases make the well-being effects of religion difficult to study,” noted Professor Larcom. “However, the Covid-19 pandemic was an extraordinary event affecting everyone at around the same time, so we could gauge the impact of a negative shock to well-being right across society. This provided a unique opportunity to measure whether religion was important for how some people deal with a crisis.”
The team analyzed survey data collected from 3,884 individuals in the UK during the first two national lockdowns and compared it to data from three waves prior to the pandemic. The researchers also examined the data based on “religiosity,” considering the extent of an individual’s commitment to religious beliefs and how central it is to their life.
Individuals for whom religion made “some or a great difference” in their lives experienced approximately half the increase in unhappiness seen in those for whom religion made little or no difference. Professor Larcom stated, “The study suggests that it is not just being religious, but the intensity of religiosity that is important when coping with a crisis.”
The research, published as a working paper by Cambridge’s Faculty of Economics, also found that the probability of religious individuals experiencing an increase in depression was around 20 percent lower than non-religious individuals.
While there was little overall difference between Christians, Muslims, and Hindus – the three largest religious groups in the UK – the researchers observed that the well-being of certain religious groups suffered more than others when places of worship were closed during the initial lockdown.
“The denial of weekly communal attendance appears to have been particularly affecting Catholics and Muslims,” Professor Larcom noted.
This research sheds light on the potential psychological benefits of religious faith during times of crisis and emphasizes the importance of religiosity in mitigating the negative impact on mental well-being.
