A world survey of teens places Australian young people towards the bottom on interest in Jesus, the Bible or even the thought that they can have an impact.
“There’s a big gap, says Noddy Sharma, World Vision Australia’s Head of Community, Faith and Partnerships. “In terms of where we ranked across the globe. In terms of faith, and thoughts of Jesus, even the idea that the Bible has something relevant to say today. It’s like the bottom percentile or something ridiculous when it comes to Australia. It’s really low.”
The Barna Group, in partnership with World Vision Australia, has released the Australian segment of The Open Generation, a first-of-its-kind international research study to understand teenagers’ identity, values, and views to help church leaders understand this emerging generation around the world.
The Open Generation includes responses from nearly 25,000 teens aged 13-17 across 26 countries, the youngest cohort to be studied to date. The survey was sent to a cross-section of teens, nationally representative of each country, regardless of their faith background or leaning.
Like any observant Christian, Sharma is not surprised that Australian teenagers rank below many other countries on how they relate to Jesus, the Bible and how they feel they can impact the world around them.
But he was surprised by how very deeply the world around them impacts the next generation.
Mental health issues rank number one concern for Australian teens, either from their personal situation or because of a friend who has to deal with problems, Sharma tells The Other Cheek. The number two concern is climate change. And number three is unemployment.
“For the rest of the world, the number one thing that young people are concerned about is climate change,” says Sharma. “Unemployment doesn’t make it on the global scale. And mental health is down towards the bottom. So for it to be top in Australia is unique.”
The third missing piece from teenagers thinking, the idea that one can have an impact on the world around them, offers a way for Christians to connect to teenagers, Sharma suggests. Because the survey shows that teenagers want to have an impact, they are simply unsure they can make it happen.
Without Jesus and the Bible, “you just end up with I want to have impact; you miss what is required to start to live your life in a meaningful way that’s both true and good,” is how Sharma puts it.
Sharma describes discipleship that can bring Jesus, the Bible, and teenagers felt need to impact the world together. “ And is creating spaces for impact that are being fed by who Jesus is – the way he turns up in the world – is what the Word of God is designed to say to us, and how we see that play out in a meaningful way.”
Part of connecting to the new generation is rethinking how Christians have engaged in society, Sharma says, sometimes calling out injustice and sometimes engaging in fights we should not have.
“His presence in the lives of our teens is lost when we focus on the media agenda or the hot topics of the moment, but all we need to do is uncover what He is already doing.”
He tells The Other Cheek, “I wonder if what this next generation really needs, in wanting to see impact, … is [to see] that the gospel is kind and compassionate, full of love that will turn up in a different way that isn’t allowed a harsh voice but instead is a kind, generous spirit that actually encourages the best in each of us.”
World Vision Australia is hosting The Open Generation Conferences in March 2023 to unpack the data-driven insights from the report, with special guests David Kinnaman CEO of Barman, Noddy Sharma, and a panel of local practitioners unique to each state.