Nearly half of Canadians say religion contributes both good and bad to society: survey

Nearly half of Canadians believe the presence of religion in Canada contributes both good and bad in equal parts, according to a new survey.

The study, conducted by the Angus Reid Institute with non-partisan think tank Cardus and released on Tuesday, surveyed nearly 1,300 Canadians about their religious practices, as well as their views about how religious communities may benefit or harm the public.

Around 47 per cent the Canadians surveyed said religion contributes both good and bad equally to the community at large. Around 31 per cent responded that religion contributed more good than bad to society, while 22 per cent said religion contributed more bad than good.

According to the survey, the number of Canadians who believe that religion contributes more bad than good to society has grown in the past few years, up from 14 per cent in late 2017.

"Last summer, ground-penetrating radar confirmed there were hundreds of unmarked graves at former residential school sites across the country, many of which were run by the Catholic Church," researchers wrote in the report. "In the intervening four years, and with those tragic histories brought into the spotlight, Canadians opinions on the contribution of religious and faith communities to society have shifted to the negative."

When broken down by religious group, all faiths reported a higher percentage of those who believe religious communities contribute more good than bad to society. Support for that idea was particularly high among Evangelical Christians -- 67 per cent of whom responded that religion was very good or mostly good for society, compared to 3 per cent of Evangelicals who said that religion contributed more bad than good.

Among non-religious Canadians, 39 per cent responded that faith contributed more harm than good to society, while 12 per cent responded that it contributed more good than bad.

Canadians from different faith communities are divided about the contributions of religious groups more broadly in Canada. Evangelical Christians and Muslims are most positive: https://t.co/jJ72dcg4WC pic.twitter.com/wVR50aBn3F

— Angus Reid Institute (@angusreidorg) April 18, 2022

Regardless of their own personal religion, respondents were also asked to whether or not the presence of specific religions in public life benefits or damages Canadian society. For three religions -- Catholicism, Evangelical Christianity and Islam -- Canadians are more likely to believe their presence is damages rather than benefits society. For other religions, including Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism, positive assessments from respondents outweighed negative ones.

SPIRITUALITY OF CANADIANS

According to the survey, spirituality varies across the country.

In order to categorize respondents into a spectrum of belief, researchers asked questions about their beliefs, including their belief in God or a higher power and their belief in life after death.

Researchers also asked about their religious practices, including how often they pray or attend church, how they feel or experience the presence of God or a higher power, and how important it was for their child or children to receive religious instruction or become involved in their religious community.

According to the study, one in five Canadians identify as "Non-Believers," while four-in-five respondents said they had some openness to God or spirituality. The largest group of Canadians identify as "Spiritually Uncertain," representing almost half of the population at 46 per cent.

The number of Canadians who identify as "Religiously Committed" has shrunk slightly in recent years, researchers said, while the number who say they are uncertain has grown.

The province with the fewest respondents identifying as "Religiously Committed" or "Privately Faithful" was Quebec, while the prairies had the most.

While seven in 10 Canadians were raised in some kind of religious tradition, just around three in 10 reported praying at least once or twice a month. 

One-third of Canadians pray at least once or twice a month, including nearly all Evangelical Christians and three-quarters of Muslims.https://t.co/jJ72dcxGlc pic.twitter.com/d28dozNxup

— Angus Reid Institute (@angusreidorg) April 18, 2022