Albertans more likely to believe in a higher power, pray or attend religious services, survey suggests

Albertans and their fellow Prairie dwellers are more likely to be "religiously committed" than other Canadians, a new survey on faith suggests.

The data, released Monday, suggest a larger proportion of Albertans believe in God or a higher power, routinely read a sacred text or pray, or educate their children in religion compared to people in Ontario, B.C. Quebec or the Atlantic provinces.

The Angus Reid Institute and Cardus, a Christian think tank based in Ontario, surveyed nearly 3,000 people online between January and April. The surveyors sought out Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Sikhs for interfaith perspectives, as well as polling the general Canadian population.

"Alberta clearly is a more religious province than some of the others," said Cardus vice-president and co-founder Ray Pennings, in an interview Monday.

Albertans are also more likely to be open about their religious beliefs, the survey suggests, which Pennings said is easier to do when more neighbours are routinely heading to a gurdwara or mosque.

The result comes despite the fact that Albertans are among the least likely to have been raised in a religious environment, the survey suggests.

Surveyors found about a quarter of Prairie residents were "spiritually committed," meaning they were likely to belong to communities of worship, believe in the afterlife and a deity or deities, or routinely practice their religion.

That was compared to 18 per cent of Canadians.

Pennings said it's likely due to the demographics of Europeans who settled in the Prairies, who may have been more reliant on community institutions, like churches, than on the government while the land was sparsely populated.

Immigration to the province and the country is also changing the demographics, as religious diasporas grow.

Cardus has done a version of the survey annually since 2017, and has seen the numbers of people who feel unsure about their faith gravitate more toward the extremes, Pennings said.

"There is no social benefit anymore to being religious," he said. "You're either religious, and you sort of take the whole meal deal, or, we're seeing an increasing trend of not being religious, if that's not your thing."

The survey suggests 45 per cent of Canadians feel "spiritually uncertain." Middle-aged women and older men are the most likely to find themselves grappling with questions of spirituality.

And those who feel a religious connection may not be frequently acting on it. About 29 per cent of the general population said they attend religious services more than a few times a year.