A survey of 2,000 Australians finds that almost half are open to a conversation about religion, and the local church is viewed positively.
The new research report, Changing Faith Landscape in Australia released by the McCrindle research company reveals that younger Australians are more likely to believe that all spaces in society are appropriate to talk about religion with more than three in four Gen Z, those born from 1995 to 2009, (77%) believing social media is an appropriate space to talk about spirituality and religion, compared to just over half of Baby Boomers (53%).
Gen Z are also 6.5 times as likely as baby Boomers to be prompted by social media to consider matters of spirituality and religion with the younger generations turning to social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook for spiritual guidance.
Open to talk
Despite the recent census showing a shift away from religious affiliation almost half of Australians (46%) who are extremely or very open to being in a spiritual conversation, are open to it despite it involving discussing different views from their own.
“The research suggests that the religious landscape of Australia is not as negative towards Christianity as it has often been presented,” says Sophie Renton, Managing Director of McCrindle Research. “While the proportion of Christians may be declining, those who are cold to Christianity is not growing and if anything, the proportion of those neutral to Christianity but who believe in creating space for religious freedoms is growing.”
Hot and cold
The report finds three in ten Australians consider themselves a Christian (30%), while 27% are warm to Christianity. Those who are warm to Christianity might believe in it but not consider themselves a Christian (6%), believe much of Christianity but still have some significant doubts (7%) or believe in the ethics and values of Christianity but don’t practise it in any way (14%).
Three in ten Australians (28%), however, are cold to Christianity. Which means they are passionately opposed to Christianity (6%), have strong reservations about Christianity and have no interest in it (13%), or have some issues with it and Christianity isn’t for them (9%).
Changing Faith Landscape in Australia has 46% of us as Christians, 16% at least monthly church attenders, 6% as Active practitioners (extremely involved with my religion), 13% “I have spiritual beliefs but don’t identify with any religion.”
The local church
“More than one in six Australians has never felt part of a flourishing community, and around the same number report feeling lonely ‘often’”, says Mark McCrindle, principal of the company.
According to the report, 68% of Australians would be at least slightly likely to attend a Christian church service or event if they were personally invited by a friend or family member. Most Australians believe that the local church is having a positive effect on their community (35% positive – 21% neutral – 5% negative). The Church also has an opportunity for better communication, particularly with one in five Australians (22%) knowing nothing at all about the Church in Australia. Of those Australians identifying with Christianity, one in three attend church at least monthly (34%), while almost one in five (19%) attend quarterly or annually. Almost half of Australians identifying with Christianity (47%), however, never attend church (less than annually/do not attend church).
Breaking out church attendance by generation yields results that might surprise some readers. Gen Y Australians who identify with Christianity are the most likely to attend church at least monthly (50%) followed by Gen Z (40%) and Builders (34%). Baby Boomers, however, are the least likely to attend church monthly (23%), despite being more likely to identify with Christianity than younger generations.