White evangelicals worry more about personal health than terrorism and mass shootings

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Health is the main worry among white evangelicals, with 75 per cent worrying about a personal health crisis.

That is compared to 66 per cent who worry about being the victim of a terrorist attack and just 38 per cent who worry about being the victim of a mass shooting.

According to a new Pew Research survey, 26 per cent worry 'a lot' about their health, while only 15 percent who worry a lot about terrorism and just 5 percent who worry a lot about mass shootings.

Pew

The questions about worries were broken out for Christianity Today by Pew as part of its in-depth study on firearms.

White evangelicals are more concerned about their health than they are about any of the other six personal issues posed by Pew, including not being able to pay bills, losing a job, having their home invaded, or being the victim of a violent crime.

Members of other faith groups worry even more about their health, including Catholics (90 per cent), black Protestants (88 per cent), white mainline Protestants (86 per cent), and the religiously unaffiliated or 'nones' (84 per cent).

Pew

Those who attend religious services weekly are just as concerned as while evangelicals about their health (76 per cent), while those who attend less often are even more worried (86 per cent).

Americans with low levels of religious commitment, with measures including firm belief in God and daily prayer, are more likely to worry about their health (85 per cent) than those with high levels of religious commitment (77 per cent).

White evangelicals are almost as worried about having their homes broken into (72 per cent) as about their health. Catholics are the most likely to be very worried (27 per cent) about a home invasion.