FORT WORTH, Texas — Eyes open — or closed?

Heavenly Father? God through Jesus? Adonai? Allah? Or the Goddess?

Family prayer at Thanksgiving?

Quick prayer at bedtime?

Asking through clenched teeth for divine aid to control road rage?

Prayer is getting a lot of attention these days: in polls, in labyrinths, in conferences to fine-tune prayer skills. Bloggers muse about such matters as their favorite postures for praying. Some Web sites post prayer requests.

No matter how often people pray or to whom, when it comes to private prayer, "people say that the most recent time they prayed, it was about family," said Christopher Bader, a researcher in a random survey about religion in America.

The survey of 1,721 people, released in September by Baylor University and the Gallup Organization, showed that three-fourths of Americans pray at least once a week. More than one-fourth prayed several times a day. Of those who prayed regularly, 77 percent prayed for relatives.

"We couldn't get too specific about what people pray about, like, 'I need to get rid of this bunion on my foot' or 'I need to get this job,"' Bader said. "But we found that the least likely thing they were to pray about is what is listed as a prayer concern in a church program or newsletter. People are thinking about their issues."

He said researchers got a surprise when they asked to whom people prayed.

"Given the evangelical focus on Jesus and the rhetoric about having a personal relationship with him, only 5 percent said they prayed to Jesus," Bader said. "Most prayed to God and sometimes to Jesus. But when they pray, they are thinking more broadly, about the big boss, so to speak."

Fourteen respondents noted that God and Jesus are, according to the New Testament's explanation of the Trinity, the same, along with the Holy Spirit.

Depending on religious affiliation or the lack of it, people also prayed to the Virgin Mary, Buddha, Allah, angels, saints, spirits and "a higher power."

"Nine percent said, 'No one special,"' Bader said.

Baylor researchers said they plan surveys every other year about prayer and other religious issues.

"We hope to get more specific in the future," Bader said. "This is the first salvo."