The pandemic pangs were accompanied by feelings of helplessness, fear and worry. There has been an evident sense of inadequacy of human race toward the unforeseen and a subdued acknowledgement of the fact that human existence is ephemeral. The pandemic witnessed ever-more pronounced human responses to religion.

Research has shown that religious beliefs are associated with positive health outcomes such as psychological toughness during illness and recovery rates. Religion and faith are often viewed by researchers and clinical practitioners as important to coping with trauma. Studies show that people who deployed positive religious coping methods had better outcomes than those who negated the healing power of faith.

The anxieties of the pandemic have led many to search for deeper meanings in their lives, guiding them to explore their faith. During the pandemic, online searches for the word “prayer” soared to the highest ever level in more than 90 countries. As the virus continues to cause deaths and disrupt lives globally, people are increasingly resorting to religion for solace.

Studies have found a rise in religious observance after people experienced a calamity. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 14 countries reveals that one-third of United States adults say the coronavirus has bolstered their faith. About 10 percent of British adults reported that their faith became stronger. In Spain and Italy, roughly one-in-six people felt so, in Canada it was 13 percent, while it was 5 percent in Japan.

The variation in responses may reflect differences in the way people generally perceive the role of religion. For instance, religion continues to play a stronger role in American life as compared to Japan and South Korea which generally have low levels of religious observance. The study was conducted in mid-2020, when countries were going through different phases of severity of the pandemic. Attitudes may have continued to metamorphose as the pandemic evolved.

Research evidence highlight that more women than men felt strengthening of their faith during the coronavirus catastrophe. Wealth and education also play a role, with people from low income backgrounds and less education somewhat more likely to say the pandemic has boosted their faith.

A Gallup study found Americans reporting their faith has become stronger after the pandemic. The biggest increase in religiosity occurred in more religious societies, such as Indonesia, and were especially strong among Christians and Muslims. A study in The Wasington Post, on the effects of the pandemic in the Muslim world, revealed that higher levels of religiosity was correlated with lower levels of distress. Religious Jewish community reported little mental distress due to the pandemic as compared to lesser religious Jews. A study by the Indian Psychiatry Society showed that 21.2 per cent of people reported significant increase in faith during lockdown.

This sudden resurgence of religious faith reverses a decade of decline in religious zeal around the world. This rise in religiosity is consistent with a large body of research which highlights that religion serves as a safeguard against distress. This is often linked to the theory of existential insecurity. When survival is uncertain, religion helps people cope with stress.

Religion offers a reservoir of resources which worshippers fall back to in times of adversity. Empirical researches during the Pandemic showed that religious faith had a positive impact on mental health and happiness of healthcare workers. Religion can be seen as a meaning-making mechanism, which influences subjective well-being.

The central organizational pattern of most religions is group worship. Religious gatherings and congregations impart strong psychological contentment to participants. This explains why many people opposed cancellation of religious gatherings during lockdowns. BBC reports that people took recourse to online religious services to establish that connect. Time Magazine highlighted that some churches were using innovative methods like drive-in theatres to provide a semblance of community worship while maintaining social distancing.

Often people take comfort in putting things “completely in God’s hands”. People may start engaging in religious deferral; a belief that a supernatural power is in charge of their lives and thus, may not even take the necessary precautions to protect themselves. Psychologists have long talked about people with external locus of control who believe that life is controlled by outside factors, like fate or chance. This got manifest when people continued to hold congregations in defiance of social distancing guidelines, believing that God will protect them.

Certain places of worship remained open claiming they were as vital in saving people as hospitals. Pilgrimages attracting millions of devotees were held at the peak of the outbreak. The organizers believed that the faith of devotees would help overcome the fear of COVID-19.

Religious practices extend beyond religious boundaries. Fasting or charity in Islam, Yoga in Hinduism and meditation in Buddhism are practices which people of all belief systems, including atheists, adopt for their medical, spiritual or emotional benefits. This was evident during the pandemic through personal stories shared on social media.

The effect of religion on psychological resilience is profound. For many, religion helped mitigate the anxiety caused by the awareness of one’s finitude and fear of death. “Religion helped me through lockdown”, a BBC feature, echoes a powerful global sentiment.

The increase in faith during the pandemic may have significant social ramifications. Some even hinted at the possibility of some sort of religious renaissance. A Wall Street Journal piece on spiritual awakening stated, “Could a rogue virus lead to a grand creative moment in America’s history?”

This may hold true for other countries as well.

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The writer is a professor at Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Studies & Research, Aligarh Muslim University