Prayer matters, according to the majority of U.S. voters.
Just weeks after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and had a near-death cardiac arrest during a Jan. 2 football game, a poll from Summit.org and McLaughlin and Associates found 67% of American voters believe “public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective” and helpful.
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Meanwhile, just under 20% said such public prayer calls are “pointless,” with an additional 13% unsure.
Hamlin’s collapse and recovery became a rallying point for invocations across the globe, with ESPN hosts, analysts, and NFL players turning to the Lord to plead for the player’s recovery.
Some of the most intriguing results from the poll are the cross-partisan findings, with majorities of both Democrats and Republicans seeing effectiveness in these public outpourings of prayer.
While 73% of Republican voters believe “public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective in light of the public outpouring of prayer for NFL player Damar Hamlin,” 65% of Democrats agree. Meanwhile, 62% of Independents said the same.
Unfortunately, young Americans between 18 and 29 were most likely to say such prayers are pointless.
Still, a majority (55%) said these prayers are helpful, with 27% stating they are senseless. But that’s significantly less than the 77% of voters over 65 who see these prayers as effective.
Regarding the effectiveness of prayer, it seems Americans are on to something. Dr. Josh Packard, executive director of Springtide Research Institute, recently told CBN’s Faithwire about his extensive research into 13-to-25-year-olds, noting studies have long found “religion is good for you.”
“Faith and spirituality are good for you,” Packard said. “If you’re a person who believes in some kind of higher power and has a connection to that higher power, you’re generally flourishing more than your peers.”
He continued, “Those who pray more tend to be flourishing more in all areas, including their mental health.”
You can read about some of the other benefits of faith here.
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