“It’s so tough for us now” - Covid-19 has negatively impacted religious practices relating to death amongst minority ethnic groups

Abstract Objective To investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and prevention measures on religious practices following death, by ethnic grouping, in an opportunistic/convenience sample of UK adults. Methods We distributed a questionnaire online and in hard copy between May 1 and June 18 2020 via social media, post, and face-to-face contact in Leicester, a multi-ethnic city in the UK. Results From 980 adults providing consent, 665 completed some or all survey items and provided ethnicity data. More than double the proportion of Black and South Asian individuals reported religious practices relating to death, burials or funerals being affected by Covid-19 compared to White groups. Of the 151 participants reporting practices being impacted, a greater proportion of ethnic minority groups reported restricted access/alteration to eight death related practices (e.g. funeral attendance) compared to White groups (significantly different for all practices, p Conclusion The initial phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK has negatively impacted on the ability to conduct religious practices following death in all ethnic groups, but the impact appears greater in ethnic minority populations compared to White groups. There is a need for further qualitative research on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on death and burial practices of minority ethnic groups.