Thread by @ShachiKurl

It's #GoodFriday2020, but more than this, these are days and weeks when Canadians of many faiths are entering a holy period. How are they doing this in the time of #COVIDー19? Well, wouldn't you know, @angusreidorg did a poll on this... follow along as I walk you through it!

First off, you can read the whole report, access data tables etc. here: angusreid.org/covid-religion…

Regardless of whether you consider yourself a person of faith or ID with a religion, one finding that truly stands out is the presence of faith communities in this crisis. 1/5 Canadians say they personally or someone close has been helped by a faith group since #COVIDー19 began:

And what about people of faith? How are they coping during a time when traditional, face to face community-based observance and celebration is impossible? Among those who pray (59% of the population overall), a significant segment are *praying more*

#COVIDー19 has spurred feelings of loneliness, anxiety, uncertainty in many of us. For those who already identify as people who turn to faith in their daily lives, prayer, for them, is a lifeline of comfort. Check out this table:

And just as technology is making so many things possible through this time, (working from home, school from home, video chats with friends and family etc.) ... tech is also bolstering the way the faithful will observe and mark Holy Week and other religious rituals...

As this graph shows, most who are or will be observing Passover, Easter and Ramadan will do so praying at home. But just as many will be turning to video streaming, apps and Zoom/Skype to find community and a sense of religious belonging:

There's no doubt it's going to be so weird and disappointing for millions of Canadians unable to participate in the Way of the Cross or the Vaisakhi parade, who had to perform the seder alone, or can't attend mosque during Ramadan ...

BUT, our poll shows the vast majority still see the upcoming holy period as being as meaningful to them as in other years:

So thanks, as always for following along. I want to acknowledge and thank our research partner on this project, @cardusca, and my colleagues at @angusreidorg ...

And again, you can read the whole report here: angusreid.org/covid-religion….

Whether you are part of a faith tradition or not, I wish you a healthy and contemplative weekend. Please stay safe and keep others safe.