RESEARCHERS are seeking answers on how the upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic affected religion across the island of Ireland.
Restricted numbers at funerals, delayed christenings, live-streamed church services and community outreach from religious groups all became familiar scenes during the pandemic.
Queen’s University Belfast is now conducting an island-wide survey on whether the universal experience of coronavirus impacted the role of religion in society.
It forms part of a larger three-year research project - The Changing Role of Religion in Societies Emerging from Covid-19 - which also examines experiences in Germany, Canada and Poland.
The online questionnaire is open to everyone over the age of 17 across the island of Ireland that belongs to a Christian, Muslim or Humanist group.
It asks people about their personal engagement with religion before, during and after the pandemic, their opinion on the role of government and religious institutions during the pandemic as well as their views of medical science and vaccinations.
It follows a previous questionnaire for religious leaders which was distributed over the last two months.
Comparisons will now be made between leaders and members of religious groups as well as between different countries.
Leading the project is Professor Gladys Ganiel, who commented: “It’s really important that we gain a broad understanding of how people of faith and Humanists experienced the pandemic.
“The future of religions on the island is largely in the hands of these people, who are keeping faith alive. Their input will give us a better understanding of how religious practices are changing and the wider, societal implications of those changes.”
While the most recent Northern Ireland census revealed that those from a Catholic background outnumbered those from a Protestant background for the first time, it also confirmed a growing secularisation of society - with 17.4% of the population confirming no religion in 2021 compared to 10.1% in 2011.
This was also reflected in the Republic’s 2022 census, where the No Religion category jumped from over 450,000 people to more than 736,000.
Those identifying as Roman Catholic also dropped from 79% in 2016 to 69% in 2022.
The online questionnaire from Queen’s University is now available to complete at this location.
