A from the Angus Reid Institute published Wednesday found that the majority of Canadians believe in some sort of life after death.
Over 2000 Canadians were surveyed in February and March, representing a variety of religious affiliations. The results show that three in five Canadians believe in life after death, though what that life is comprised of varies by religion.
“Christianity teaches that following Jesus Christ leads to eternity in heaven, while not following him leads to hell. For Muslims, it’s the Akhirah, or the hereafter, the afterlife experienced either in Jannah (paradise) or Jahannam (hell). The Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text, describes the concept of that religion’s reincarnation, where the atman, or soul, enters a new body after death. in Sikhism, life is a cycle of samsara, or birth, death and rebirth, where souls are continuously reincarnated in new bodies,” reads the report.
Muslims responded as the religious group most believing in life after death (87 per cent agree) while a majority of Jewish respondents disagreed in an afterlife (60 per cent disagree).
The number of Canadians who say they believe in life after death has remained steady over time, ranging from 60 per cent to 66 per cent in a typical year. A drop down to 51 per cent believe coincided with the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, but numbers have since returned to historical averages.
The prairie provinces are most likely to believe in afterlife, with Manitoba responding with the highest provincial agreement at 72 per cent. Quebec is the least likely province to believe, reporting 50 per cent in agreement. The report credits Quebec’s disbelief in an afterlife to the provinces propensity for secularism.
Commitment to religion has an impact on belief in life after death. 97 per cent of those religiously committed are in agreement of an afterlife, while 8 per cent of nonbelievers agree. The spiritually uncertain are split as to what happens after death.
The resurrection: history or myth?
The survey was conducted leading up to Easter, so included a question on whether or not the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a real historical event, as the holiday commemorates that event.
The survey shows that there are near equal-sized groups of Canadians on both sides of the argument, with men age 18-34 and women older than 54 most likely to believe the resurrection as a true historical event. About one quarter of all age groups strongly disagree.
Christians are the religious group most likely to believe the resurrection as historical (59 per cent). Jewish respondents were the only religious group to show a majority in disagreement (85 per cent).