Oh Happy Day!

Poll reveals Christians are happiest people in the country

11 April 2006

A national survey on faith and religion carried out for Easter shows that Christians come top of a happiness poll. The study, commissioned by the Evangelical Alliance and Premier Radio, found that of those polled 75 per cent of church goers said they were happy with life compared to 54 per cent of people who never attend a service. When a parallel study was carried out with evangelical Christians the happiness percentage rose to over 80.

Peter Kerridge, Chief Executive of Premier Radio said, “Christianity is a positive and affirming religion. Many Christians are happy because they feel supported and loved by God. It’s not that attending church or reading the Bible alone will make everyone happier, but I believe that many people can gain support or form a relationship with God through those activities, which, will, in turn, improve their outlook on life.”

The independent survey was carried out by CommunicateResearch and involved polling 2000 members of the public. They gave answers to a range of questions around the existence of God and the relevance of Christianity in both their lives and the lives of the communities in which they live. The findings also found that 75 per cent of people who read the Bible at least once a month consider themselves happy or very happy compared to just 56 per cent who never read the Bible.

Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance said, “There's no doubt that happiness is a sought after commodity in our culture. This survey makes it clear that Christian values and the community of faith support and promote happier lifestyles in a world filled with many challenges today. Little wonder therefore that the survey also tells us that despite the negative associations people have with the Christian faith and evangelicalism in particular, Christianity still has a great deal to offer people seeking happiness."

In America, religious surveys have reported similar results, with Evangelical Christians appearing significantly happier than their neighbours. A recent study for a British newspaper reported that the UK was among the least happy countries in the world, coming behind America and other parts of Europe.