New research. 83 per cent of US adults believe there is a soul or spirit separate to the body

On Dec 10, 2023

FILE - A bronze statue of the Archangel Gabriel blowing a trumpet stands at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine as the sun rises in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York on Sunday, March 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

RELIGIONS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA)- The latest Pew Research indicates that 83 per cent of US adults believe people have a soul or spirit in addition to their physical body.

81 per cent think there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even though we cannot see it.

The findings are from a survey of 11,000 people, said to be a nationally representative sample.

Pew says 70 per cent of US adults can be considered “spiritual” in some way, because they think of themselves as spiritual people or say spirituality is very important in their lives.

This is against a wider picture of a decline in traditional religious beliefs and practices, a decline in those who believe in God, attend services regularly or consider religion to be very important in their lives.