In its release this month, the group revealed that more than 60% of respondents “said that their physical or mental health had been affected by church closures.”
Just a quarter of respondents, meanwhile, “thought that it was necessary to close churches and other places of worship by law at the start of the pandemic,” while just under 90% said it was “unhelpful having different legal restrictions on churches across different regions and nations of the U.K.”
The group said the survey results also demonstrated “resilience” in Mass attendance, with less than 10% of respondents saying they attend Mass less frequently or not at all since the start of the COVID pandemic.
Catholic Union said it would use the results of the study as part of its contribution to the COVID-19 Inquiry, which is currently gathering evidence from “senior politicians and advisers.”
Sheila Hollins, the president of the union, said in the release that the results were “distressing.”
“They confirm that the lockdown of churches was not only hugely unpopular but had a real impact on people’s well-being,” she said. “The increase in the number of people feeling lonely or depressed as a direct consequence of the closures is particularly shocking.”