According to Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research, although there are many people in the U.S. who profess to be Christian or believe in some form of God, most only pray when they are in dire need of help.
In their new survey of 1,137 Americans conducted on August 7, 2014, Lifeway found that most people pray for their own individual needs or that of their immediate family. They add that hardly any pray to God for guidance for their politicians or for those who don’t believe to become enlightened, and very few have a personal relationship with their Savior.
According to the survey, 82% of Americans pray for their friends and family and 74% pray for their own well-being or things they desire. This is followed by 54% who pray for good things to happen in their life and 36% who pray for continued prosperity.
Out of a total of 83% of Americans who believe that some or all of their prayers are answered, 25% of those believe that God hears and answers all their prayers, 21% say most of their prayers are granted and 37% believe that God answers some of their requests. Only 3% of those surveyed said that they didn’t believe any of their prayers were answered and 14% said they were unsure if they were or not.
