Poll: In Wake of Public Prayer for NFL Player Damar Hamlin, Two-Thirds of Voters Say Public Calls for Prayer are Effective

Young Voters Most Likely to Say Calls for Prayer After National Tragedy is Pointless

(Manitou Springs, CO—January 31, 2023) Summit.org, in partnership with McLaughlin and Associates—one of America’s most respected polling survey firms—is releasing the results of a recent national survey. Results were from a survey of 1,000 likely general election voters nationwide and was conducted January 19th through January 23rd.

“This poll reveals that public calls to prayer after Damar Hamlin’s collapse from cardiac arrest on national television and through his miraculous healing have, at least for the moment, brought Americans together across the partisan divide. Prominent members of the NFL community and sports commentators were led to publicly pray for Damar, and that resonated with the vast majority of Americans,” said Dr. Jeff Myers, President of Summit.org and the author of the new book Truth Changes Everything: How People of Faith Can Transform the World in Times of Crisis. “Unfortunately young Americans seem more cynical about prayer, with a higher percentage than other age groups saying such calls to prayer are pointless. But with many young athletes now publicly expressing their faith, perhaps the hearts of the rising generation will be more open to the very real power of faith and prayer.”

All interviews were conducted online; survey invitations were distributed randomly within predetermined geographic units. These units were structured to correlate with actual

voter turnout in the general election. This poll of 1,000 general election voters has an accuracy of +/- 3.1% at a 95% confidence interval.

The complete link to the data can be found here:

https://www.summit.org/about/press/power-of-prayer-during-tragedies/

KEY INSIGHT: Majority of American Voters Believe That Public Outpouring of Prayer After National Tragedy are Helpful:

• 67.3 percent of voters believe that public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective in light of the public outpouring of prayer for NFL player Damar Hamlin.

• 19.7 percent of voters believe that public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are pointless in light of the public outpouring of prayer for NFL player Damar Hamlin.

• 13.1 percent don’t know.

KEY INSIGHT: Belief in Effectiveness of Public Outpouring of Prayer After National Tragedy Crosses Partisan Divide:

• 65.4 percent of Democratic voters believe that public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective in light of the public outpouring of prayer for NFL player Damar Hamlin. 24.4 percent say calls to prayer are pointless, and 10.2 percent don’t know.

• 73 percent of Republican voters believe that public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective in light of the public outpouring of prayer for NFL player Damar Hamlin. 13.8 percent say calls to prayer are pointless, and 13.2 percent don’t know.

• 62.4 percent of Independent voters believe that public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective in light of the public outpouring of prayer for NFL player Damar Hamlin. 21.1 percent say calls to prayer are pointless, and 16.5 percent don’t know.

KEY INSIGHT: Young American Voters Most Likely to Say Prayer Pointless After National Tragedy:

• 54.7 percent of voters aged 18-29 believe that public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective in light of the public outpouring of prayer for NFL player Damar Hamlin. 27.3 percent say calls to prayer are pointless, and 18 percent don’t know.

• 62.3 percent of voters aged 30-40 believe that public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective in light of the public outpouring of prayer for NFL player Damar Hamlin. 25.2 percent say calls to prayer are pointless, and 12.5 percent don’t know.

• 67.8 percent of voters aged 41-55 believe that public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective in light of the public outpouring of prayer for NFL player Damar Hamlin. 19 percent say calls to prayer are pointless, and 13.2 percent don’t know.

• 69.9 percent of voters aged 56-65 believe that public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective in light of the public outpouring of prayer for NFL player Damar Hamlin. 17.1 percent say calls to prayer are pointless, and 13 percent don’t know.

• 77.3 percent of voters over age 65 believe that public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective in light of the public outpouring of prayer for NFL player Damar Hamlin. 12.9 percent say calls to prayer are pointless, and 9.8 percent don’t know.