A new survey found that Christians are more likely to feel an increased sense of community spirit within their neighborhood because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a survey conducted by UK-based consultancy, Savanta ComRes, on behalf of Christian Aid, 50% of Christians claimed to feel a strong sense of belonging since March. Forty per cent of young Brits aged between 18 and 34 felt an increase, higher than three in ten among UK adults, reports Church Times.
“Covid-19 may have forced us to physically separate, but connection and community have been huge themes this year,” said Chine McDonald, Head of Media & PR for Christian Aid. “It’s exciting to see a significant number of young people indicating that they feel more part of our global community.”
Covid-19 may have forced us to physically separate, but connection and community have been huge themes this year. —Chine McDonald, Head of Media & PR for Christian Aid
While the sense of community is strengthened during the pandemic, the extent to which this was felt was lower. Among UK adults who felt an increase in community spirit, only 9% said they felt this to a large extent, and 20% said they felt this “a little.” For the 18-34 age group, only 27% felt this increase “a little bit,” and 12% said they felt this “a lot.”
McDonald said the health crisis, instead of making people become selfish, made them conscious of other people’s situation, especially those in impoverished areas.
“Neighbors here in the UK are transforming people’s lives when they come together, online or otherwise, and through our partner organizations our supporters reach out to their global neighbors, too,” she noted.
“We have been bowled over by people’s understanding that Covid-19 is also devastating lives in parts of the world much less resilient than ours. Although we are still dealing with the virus here, people can see how awful the impact of this disease is on people without safety nets and without access to good healthcare.”
Meantime, in Scotland, the majority of the people said they are content with their neighborhood. The Scottish Household Survey found that 94% of adults answered that their neighborhood was a good or fairly good place to live, while 78% said they felt a strong sense of belonging there.
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said the survey was done before the pandemic, but a strong sense of community was important during the imposed quarantine to help curb the spread of the deadly virus.
“The rise in digital connectivity will also have been hugely beneficial under lockdown, with more people than ever able to use the internet to buy essential supplies, keep in touch with friends or take part in cultural activities,” said Campbell.
