Miraculous in the 21st Century

Three in five UK adults say they believe some form of miracle is possible, a survey commissioned by the BBC has suggested.

Nearly half of those questioned on behalf of BBC Local Radio admitted to praying for a miracle at some time.

However, when it comes to the miracles of Jesus, nearly half say they do not believe he did miraculous things.

The survey suggested:

• 62% of British adults believe some form of miracle is possible today
• Nearly three-quarters aged 18-24 say they believe some form of miracle is possible today, more than any other age group
• 43% say they have prayed for a miracle
• 37% of British adults who attend a religious service at least monthly say they believe the miracles of Jesus happened word for word as described in the Bible
• Half of this group say they have prayed for a miracle which was answered in the way they had hoped
• But 37% of Christians have never prayed for a miracle
• The survey suggests 59% of adults who identify as Christian have prayed for a miracle, with around half of these people (29%) saying their prayer was answered in the way they hoped.