MaltaToday survey | Does religion make people happier?

MaltaToday’s survey, held in the last weeks for the Christmas season, has found that people who said they see Christmas as both a “religious” as well as a “cultural” feast – as opposed to not seeing it as religious any longer – are more likely to feel happier than usual during the festive season, followed by those who regard it to be as ‘only’ a religious feast.

On the other hand, people who regard Christmas as a cultural feast could be more likely to feel sad.

This difference between respondents emerged in a survey that found 77% who see the day of the birth of Jesus Christ – one of the highlights in the Christian calendar – as both a cultural and a religious feast said they felt happier than usual during the festive season. 

The percentage falls to 59% among those who primarily see Christmas as a religious feast and to just 32% among those who regard Christmas as a cultural feast.

And while only 4% of those who regard Christmas as both a religious and cultural feast say they are sadder in the festive season, the percentage rises to 11% among those who regard Christmas as primarily a religious feast, to 25% among those who regard it as a cultural feast and to 66% of those who regard Christmas as being neither a cultural nor a religious feast.

Read the full survey in MaltaToday