Deaths and health setbacks are more likely to move people in each country towards faith and spirituality.
Vancouver, BC [December 11, 2025] – Americans are significantly more likely than Canadians to be drawn to faith and spirituality when facing challenges in their lives, a new two-country Research Co. poll has found.
The online survey of representative national samples asked Canadians and Americans if they sought faith and spirituality “more than usual” when going through eight different experiences.
More than seven-in-ten Americans (71%) and just under three-in-five Canadians (59%) say they became more in tune with faith and spirituality after the loss of a loved one.
Majorities of respondents in the two countries (64% in the United States and 53% in Canada) sought faith and spirituality when they experienced an unexpected health setback.
At least half of Americans became more in tune with faith and spirituality when they encountered financial problems (55%), after the birth of a loved one (53%) or when experiencing career-related setbacks, such as failing to get admission to a university, losing a job or not being hired after an interview (50%).
In Canada, about two-in-five respondents acknowledged becoming more in tune with faith and spirituality on account of the birth of a loved one (42%), financial problems (41%) or career-related setbacks (38%).
While almost half of Americans (46%) turned to faith and spirituality upon the end of a relationship, only 36% of Canadians followed the same course of action when going through a break-up, separation or divorce.
“Only 33% of Canadian men and 41% of American men looked more closely at faith and spirituality after a break-up,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The proportions rise to 40% among Canadian women and to 51% among American women.”
Fewer Americans and Canadians sought faith and spirituality during the COVID-19 pandemic (44% in the U.S. and 32% in Canada) or after the re-election of Donald Trump as President of the United States (35% in the U.S. and 20% in Canada).
Just under a third of Republicans in the United States (32%) became more in tune with faith and spirituality after Trump’s re-election, compared to 35% of Independents and 41% of Democrats.
In Canada, similar proportions of people who voted for the Liberal Party (21%), the Conservative Party (20%) or the New Democratic Party (NDP) (19%) in the 2025 federal election sought faith and spirituality after Trump’s victory.
Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted from November 21 to November 23, 2025, among 1,002 adults in Canada and 1,001 adults in the United States. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in each country. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, for each country.
Find our data tables for Canada here, data tables for the United States here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca