Miracles, Divine Healings, and Angels: Beliefs Among U.S. Adults 45+
Source: AARP Police & Research

The July 2008 telephone survey included a Hispanic oversample. Key findings include:

• Four in five survey respondents (80%) say they believe that miracles occur today as in ancient times, while 67% say they believe that illnesses and injuries can be divinely healed.
• Respondents age 45-54 were more likely to believe in miracles (85%) than those age 55 and older (77%).
• Over a third (37%) say they have witnessed a miracle, 29% have witnessed a divine healing, and 11% have seen an angel.
• When asked what makes someone worthy of receiving a miracle, having faith (73%), prayer (67%), and strength of desire (55%) are seen by the majority to be determining factors.
• Unsurprisingly, God (84%) and Jesus (75%) were the two figures respondents rated highest in bestowing miracles. Only 47% thought angels bestowed miracles.
• A strong majority of Hispanics report believing in miracles (86%), spirits and angels (86%), and divine healings (82%), significantly more than white non-Hispanics.
• Hispanics are just as likely as white non-Hispanics to say they are religious or spiritual. However, when asked about the frequency in which they engage in religious activities, Hispanics are more likely to say they pray, share their faith with others, and watch or listen to religious programming on a weekly basis than white non-Hispanics.

+ Full Report (PDF; 528 KB)

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 27th, 2008 at 1:15 pm and is filed under Religion and spirituality, Social and cultural issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.