The Catholic Church is the organisation most turned to by Irish people for emotional comfort and reassurance after spouses, partners, family and friends. 

According to a poll by Behaviour and Attitudes commissioned by the Irish Times, 14 per cent of Irish people turn to the Catholic Church for comfort and support. 

The figure is considerably higher among older age groups, with 32 per cent of over-65s turning to the Church. In contrast, only four per cent of those aged 18-34 are likely to look to the Church for support. 

A poll commissioned by the Iona Institute showed that there had been an increase in Mass attendance since the beginning of the economic downturn. It showed that 65 per cent of people went to Mass at least once a month, up from 54 per cent a year ago, while weekly Mass attendance had risen from 42 per cent to 46 per cent in a year. 

Professor Patricia Casey, consultant psychiatrist at the Mater Hospital in Dublin said people who turned to religion as a result of the stress and anxiety caused by the recession “will benefit from the moderating effects of religious practice on the stress that inevitably results from the current downturn.” 

Professor Casey is the author of a paper, ‘The psycho-social benefits of religious practice’ published by The Iona Institute last April, which shows that religious practice is associated with lower than average rates of depression and other mental illnesses, better recovery rates after illness and lower than average rates of alcohol and drug abuse. 

According to the research cited in the paper, religious practice is also linked to lower rates of marital breakdown, lower rates of crime, lower rates of sexual activity among teens and fewer sexual partners.