GMIPoll: One in Four Americans Believe the South Asian Tsunami Was an Act of God

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 19, 2005--Half of southern evangelicals and one in ten Catholics in America believe the devastation caused by the South Asian Tsunami was an act of God of religious significance, according to independent market research solutions company GMI, Inc. (http://www.worldpoll.com).

"Horrendous tragedies like a tsunami are hard to comprehend and even when science offers an explanation of the forces and immediate causes, many are still left searching for a deeper explanation for why this occurred. Religion often provides a comforting answer," explains Dr. Mitchell Eggers, COO and chief pollster at GMI.

“Horrendous tragedies like a tsunami are hard to comprehend and even when science offers an explanation of the forces and immediate causes, many are still left searching for a deeper explanation for why this occurred. Religion often provides a comforting answer”

GMIPoll(TM) conducted a 20,000 person survey on the South Asian Tsunami and Religion January 8 through 12 (representative samples of 1,000 persons in 20 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, United Kingdom, United States). The findings suggest that Christians were more likely than any other religion to identify the Tsunami as an act of God. Key findings include:

-- Half of Malaysian respondents felt that the Tsunami was an act of God; similarly, half of Malaysian respondents indicated they were much closer to God after the Tsunami

-- 27% of Russians, 26% of Americans, and 15% of Korean respondents felt that the Tsunami was an act of God

-- 16% of all global respondents indicated the Tsunami was an act of God

The survey also revealed differences in how distinct demographics responded to the questions. For example:

-- Persons living in the Southeast U.S. were more likely to believe the Tsunami was an act of God when compared to other geographical regions

Respondents in Japan, a country where religion does not play a big role in everyday life of most people, did not attribute the Tsunami to God.

"The Japanese people have a pragmatic approach to religion and because of this don't turn to religion when a natural disaster, such as a tsunami, strikes," explains Dr. Donald Hellmann, Professor of International Studies at the University of Washington.

GMIPoll(TM) questions are designed to solicit opinions on numerous topical issues and critical global events. GMI surveys use highly profiled double opt-in panels from more than 500 global sources to help achieve 97% accuracy in their statistical results.