A significant minority of Brits believe in the power of prayer when it comes to looking after their mental health.

The poll by Savanta ComRes found that 38% of UK adults believed prayer was good for their mental health.

The research was commissioned by the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer, which has just launched a crowdfunder to raise the last £2.5m needed to start construction of a monument by the same name going up near Birmingham. 

The survey polled 2,075 UK adults and also found that nearly half (45%) are anxious about their own future.

Over half (53%) said they were anxious about the mental health of the next generation. 

In other findings, more than four in ten (43%) said prayer could make them feel more hopeful, despite only a quarter (26%) saying they felt more hopeful today than they did 10 years ago.

Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer founder Richard Gamble said, "While it is encouraging to note that almost 40% of the country believe prayer is good for mental health, we need to see prayer as more than just another tool in the wellbeing first aid kit, and more a conversation with God. Prayer can bring hope, and hope is one of the most powerful forces in the universe."

Construction on the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer is due to get underway this year, with the site to open in early 2023. 

Once completed, it will stand at 169 feet tall, eclipsing the Angel of the North, and will be formed of a million bricks each representing a prayer answered by God.

The project will cost £12m and is expected to attract 300,000 visitors a year.

Gamble continued, "Prayer we know helps people find peace which is so hard to come by these days. Providing a space where people can come to reflect on the value of prayer and access stories of hope whatever their background or world view, we believe will strengthen mental well-being across the nation. And for those that pray they can do so in the knowledge of a God who listens and responds."

He continued, "Every single one of a million bricks represents a story of answered prayer to make hope visible to all who see this Christian monument. When visitors get close up they will see these bricks and will be struck with the realisation that each one has a story attached. It will point them to the God who answers."