Everyone considers the purpose of life at some point. At times, many find meaning in things such as travel or food. Similarly, others find significance in other aspects of life, such as family, career, or a society. More so, others are looking for a deeper connection that will lead them to enlightenment.

Accordingly, Real Research — the online survey app launched a survey on a pilgrimage. Specifically, the survey aims to find if people wish to go on a pilgrimage. If so, then why do people go on a pilgrimage? Also, what is a good choice for a pilgrimage destination? Here are the results.

Highlights:

  • 87.20% of the respondents say they are religious
  • Almost 15% say they will go on a pilgrimage to seek spiritual guidance
  • 42.34% would like to go on a pilgrimage alone

The Majority of the Respondents Are Religious

The survey on a pilgrimage starts with a question of whether respondents believe they are religious or not. In response, the majority of 87.20% say they are religious while 12.80% say they are not.

Respondents on which religion they follow
Figure 1: Respondents on which religion they follow

Next, the survey asks respondents about what religion they practice. In reply, 32.59% say ‘Catholic’ while 23.56% say ‘Islam’. Furthermore, 18.55% say ‘Hinduism’, 5.81% say ‘Buddhism’, and 2.10% say ‘Judaism’. Lastly, 5.83% say ‘I have no religion’.

In line with this, the survey asks respondents if they have been on a pilgrimage before. In answer, 69.29% of the respondents say ’yes’ and 30.71% say ‘no’.

Respondents on Plans To Go for Pilgrimage

To carry forth, the survey on a Pilgrimage asks respondents whether they have any plans to go on a pilgrimage in the future. In response, the majority (45.46%) say ‘yes’ while 54.54% say ‘no’.

Respondents on the idea of going on a Pilgrimage
Figure 2: Respondents on the idea of going on a Pilgrimage

Further on, the survey asks ‘why did you decide or would like to go on a pilgrimage?’. On this, 49.90% say ‘to find the meaning of life’ while 12.13% say to ‘seek spiritual guidance’. Moreover, 11.23% say ‘to be inspired’ and 6.85% say for ‘personal reflection’. Adding on, 4.67% say ‘to seek forgiveness’ while 3.93% say they will go ‘to reflect on religious teachings’.

Next, the survey asks respondents — ‘if you decide to go on a pilgrimage, would you visit the world’s best-known routes or local ones?’. Here, 76.46% of the respondents chose ‘the world’s best-known pilgrimages. In contrast, 23.54% chose ‘local pilgrimages’.

Places of Pilgrimage to Visit and Who To Travel With

Accordingly, the survey asks respondents, if given an opportunity, which country would they like to visit for a pilgrimage? To this, 33.92% suggest they will visit Spain, while 16.53% chose India. Meanwhile, 13.92% chose Saudi Arabia, 12% chose Israel, and 4.93% chose Italy. Lastly, 6.73% say ‘I don’t want to go on a pilgrimage’.

Figure 3: Respondents on places of pilgrimage to visit

The survey then asks respondents — ‘if you have already been on a pilgrimage would you recommend it to others?’. In response, 65.59% say ‘yes, it is worth a try at least once in a lifetime’ while 16.40% say ‘yes, it is an opportunity to be more mature’. In contrast, 9.85% say ‘no, finding a way is harder than expected’ and 8.16% say ‘no, it is a prolonged journey which is very tough’.

To conclude, the pilgrimage survey asks respondents about who they feel it is best to go on a pilgrimage with. In reply, 42.34% say ‘alone by myself’. In contrast, 26.98% say they would go with family members and relatives. Meanwhile, 9.38% prefer to go with a pious believer while 7.91% will go with members of religious groups/communities. Lastly, 3.68% would go with a group of backpackers.

Methodology

 
Survey TitleSurvey on a Pilgrimage
DurationApril 29 – May 6, 2022
Number of Participants50,000
DemographicsMales and females, aged 21 to 99
Participating Countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.