A new study has found that mental health remained stable for people who attended church frequently this year. 

While the mental health impact of the pandemic has been a source of concern for many people, the Gallup Poll found that Americans who went to church frequently were more likely to say their mental health this year was "excellent". 

Overall, around a third of Americans (34%) described their mental health as "excellent", down from 43% last year. 

Among those who attended church weekly though, this figure rose to 46%, even increasing on last year's figures, when 42% said the same. 

Of those who attended church nearly weekly or monthly, just over a third (35%) said their mental health was excellent.

Women were significantly less likely than men to say their mental health was excellent (27% vs 41%), as were Democrats in comparison to Republicans (29% vs 41%).

Gallup has been surveying Americans about their mental health in November every year since 2001.  

Typically, the proportion rating their mental health as excellent or good has ranged from 81% to 89% each year, but this year, that fell to a new low of 76%.

Gallup said the findings were "undoubtedly influenced by the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to profoundly disrupt people's lives, but may also reflect views of the election and the state of race relations, both of which were on Americans' minds this year."