Shielding, but not shielded : comparing the experience of the Covid-19 lockdown for Anglican churchgoers aged seventy and over with those under the age of sixty

Given the importance of older churchgoers in maintaining and sustaining the functioning of Anglican churches, the present study draws on the Coronavirus, Church & You Survey to examine the impact of the pandemic, the national lockdown, and the national lock-up of churches on their attitude toward the Church. By comparing the responses of 867 churchgoers aged seventy or over with the responses of 924 churchgoers under the age of sixty, the data found that those aged seventy or over had less sympathy for the national leadership of the Church, had experienced the lock-up of churches more negatively, had less good experience of the online alternatives provided by the Church, and were more pessimistic about the longer-term sustainability of their churches. Those aged seventy or over may have been shielding during the lockdown, but may not have been shielded from the impact of the experience on their attitude toward the Church