Canadian Christian clergy and church leaders estimate approximately 20 per cent of their congregants are experiencing social isolation and loneliness, a new study shows.

“This was consistent with other research from (Statistics Canada),” said Rebecca Vachon, the director of the Cardus think tank's health program. “It's interesting to see that play out among these congregations as that was consistent across regional, denominational, urbanicity and church-sized groups.”

Unsurprisingly, the 368 participants reported that this issue has intensified in the past five years. The multi-year COVID-19 pandemic is widely seen as a major disruption to social interaction.

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Vachon co-authored the report Community in Communion: How Canadian Churches Respond to Social Isolation and Loneliness with Jean-Christophe Jasmin, the organization’s Quebec director, and Jenisa Los, who formerly served the think tank as research manager.

A key question the team asked was: “To what extent do you agree that social isolation and/or loneliness is a challenge for your church community?” Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) agreed, 19 per cent were neutral and 16 per cent disagreed. By language, 73 per cent of French churches agreed compared to 62 per cent of English-speaking institutions.

With the exception of B.C. (58 per cent), at least 60 per cent of church leaders from every region across Canada — Saskatchewan and Manitoba are combined, and the Atlantic provinces are grouped — consider social isolation and loneliness as a challenge.

Denominationally, a similar level of Catholics (62 per cent), Evangelicals (66) and Mainline Protestants (61) agree it represents a contemporary trial.

Seniors, newcomers to Canada, churchgoers who live alone, the socioeconomically vulnerable and individuals living with disabilities are engendering the most concern within religious leaders. It does not escape notice these groups are more inclined to consider medical assistance in dying (MAiD).

“It is clear that many people who opt for MAiD are experiencing isolation or loneliness as a source of suffering,” said Vachon. “There certainly is a lot of reason to be active in addressing things that may be driving someone towards MAiD, and church congregations can be proactive in communicating the value each member of their congregation has to their community and God. That can be really meaningful in addressing the drivers towards MAiD and hopelessness.”

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Previous research has denoted the potential of religion and spirituality as a safeguard against isolation and loneliness and an improver of well-being among individuals experiencing this issue of public health. This Cardus report takes the next step by examining how Catholic, Mainline Protestant and Evangelical communities approach this important work.

One notable finding is that while each Christian denomination offers notably distinctive programs to cultivate fellowship, the different churches place comparable emphasis on the same core needs.

“In a Protestant church, they might call something a Bible study and in a Catholic (parish), you have a faith formation program. There is slightly different language,” said Vachon. “When we broke down the programs according to the need being focused on — faith, practical and social — we found the same rate across denominations and regions. It seems like churches are responding to the needs at a similar volume.”

For example, 89 per cent of answering parishes offer pastoral visits, 84 per cent run discussion or small groups, 78 per cent host church socials and 77 per cent provide a coffee reception after a service.

Regarding the regional portrait, the study pinpoints key percentage differences between Quebec and the rest of the Canadian provinces. The ratios of Quebec houses of worship offering pastoral visits (75 per cent to 92 per cent), organized volunteering (24 to 44), a hospitality committee (25 to 47), coffee receptions and church greeters (60 to 80) and discussion groups (64 to 89) is about 20 per cent lower than the majority Anglophone regions.  

At 73 per cent, personnel challenges — too few priests or volunteers — were listed as the biggest obstacle by leaders in addressing social isolation and loneliness. Multiple Catholic respondents cited how they are responsible for more than one Church — one indicated that he oversees 30. Financial concerns, physical infrastructure, knowledge gaps and government bureaucracy were also seen as notable barriers.

The report’s top recommendation is for the government not to become a bigger obstacle by repealing the charitable status of faith-driven non-profits, a notion suggested in the 2025 pre-budget consultations document advanced by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance in December 2024.

Vachon suggests the federal government pursue an allyship course of action.

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“Simply recognizing the value of the role churches play in addressing this public health challenge and the way they support Canadians would be really helpful to move the needle on this,” said Vachon. “There can be (government) research that is done to look at this issue to better understand the issue and the role faith groups can play.”

Read Community in Communion: How Canadian Churches Respond to Social Isolation and Loneliness at cardus.ca.