According to the WHO (World Health Organization) we pray in times of crisis. Becuase of the world wide emergency, churches all over the world have shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19. This causes a major issue, as people have felt that Sunday services could not be fulfilled, and it was hard to do religious coping without the services that were provided before the pandemic.
         - People use private prayer in order to further enhance their connection with God. 

In the COVID-19 Pandemic

This is the google search for prayer before the COVID-19 Pandemic- this shows results from the past four years. 

The google search for "prayer" before COVID 19 Pandemic 

Google searches for "prayer" during COVID-19

- In the introduction, Bentzen proposes that people pray to help them with coping. This idea is highlighted on page 4, where she talks about the idea of prayer, and how it helps people cope with adversity. People pray for "relief" for their loved ones, or if they are struggling with cancer, etc. Adversity is also used in the "form of Natural disasters" (Bentzen, 4) where the people that are affected turn to religion for coping. 


Rutgers University

COVID-19 has affected the world in many ways, people deal with losses and turned to faith because of mental health being deteriorated. The use of religion helps cope with anxiety and reduces emotional distress. This research is identified empirically (observation) that the phenomenon has been global, and there are many people that pray in a time of crisis. Google searches also showed that there was offline behavior such as research in consumption patterns, unemployment rates, predicting the present, development of the flu. Before COVID-19, Ramadan was the most searched event for prayer, and prayer searches spiked on Sundays as well. There was a main reason that was articulated for internet surfing on google: Religious coping- People use their religion to cope with the adversity they faced during COVID-19. They pray for relief, understanding and comfort.

In Crisis we Pray: Introduction 

Bentzen, Jeanet, In Crisis, We Pray: Religiosity and the COVID-19 Pandemic (May 2020). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP14824, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3615587

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