Sydney, Australia
Despite what some Christians perceive as a hostile culture toward religion, Australians – especially young people – are generally open to conversations about faith and spirituality, according to two recent surveys around Christianity and the church.
The Changing Faith Landscape in Australia, a recent study from McCrindle, a social data research firm based in Sydney, and the 2021 National Church Life Survey both suggest that while Christian commitment has declined to 44 per cent – the first time in recorded history – there are numerous attributes of the culture that signal positive opportunities for the church.
Houses in a Melbourne suburb. PICTURE: Ingrid_Hendriksen/iStockphoto.
Chief among both surveys is the role of young people. Both McCrindle’s study and the NCLS suggest that young adult church attenders are the most likely of any age group to be confident in their local church and most interested in active engagement with global issues related to Christian faith, that is, caring for the environment, ending racism, alleviating poverty. They are most likely of any age group to support new initiatives in their church community.
“This is an encouraging picture,” said Ruth Powell, NCLS research director, in a statement. “The young adults in Australian churches offer the most positive view about their church experiences. In general, they know little about the Christian faith, but are curious rather than hostile.”
Three in 10 young Australians report that they attend religious services at least once a month and nearly half of all young adults (15 to 30s) joined their church in the past five years. Fifty-three per cent of Gen Z are open to spiritual conversations compared to only 34 per cent of Baby Boomers.
“Who is Gen Z? Aged 18-27, they are the most formally educated, digitally integrated, globally minded generation than any other,” said Stephanie Razey, McCrindle’s Research Lead in a recent webinar about their report that included 700 registered viewers.
“COVID-19 has highlighted more issues for Gen Z and made them sympathetic toward the world. Yes, 75 per cent check their phones within three minutes of waking up, but 73 per cent are open to changing their views, which means it’s OK to talk about religion.”
What attracts or repels the emerging generations to religion or spirituality? Sixty-six per cent said experiencing a personal trauma or significant life change made religion attractive while 54 per cent were most repelled when hearing from public figures or celebrities who are examples of a certain faith. Generally, seeing people’s life actions consistent with their genuine faith attracted more than repelled young people.
“Emerging generations are looking to be active participants, that’s what’s driving them,” Razey said. “They value having their voices heard and want opportunities to contribute. And 60 per cent say they grow most through serving on a team [at church] with 57 per cent growing from attending Sunday services.”
Public perceptions about church, according to the McCrindle survey, suggest that LGBTQ+ issues and the church’s traditional stance on homosexuality has the most negative influence on Gen Z with issues about money and the role of women also negatively affecting their views of Christians and Christianity. While 90 per cent of Australians say they have heard of Jesus, they admit knowing only a few things about his life. Some 2.2 million Australians say they do not know any Christians, one in three Australians have at least one long term health condition, and 54 per cent identify with some religious affiliation.
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People from a host of nations have also brought new opportunities and perspectives. While McCrindle reports that 27.7 per cent of Australians are born overseas – or one in four Australians, the 2021 NCLS notes the ethnicity of church attenders has also risen over time, with 37 per cent of attenders born overseas, up from 28 per cent in 2006.
“About a quarter of churchgoers [24 per cent] speak a language other than English at home, with most being bilingual or multilingual,” Powell said in the statement. And out of 350 languages nationally, 167 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island languages are spoken at home.
The fastest growing international communities are from Nepal (124 per cent), India (48 per cent) and Pakistan (45 per cent). Almost 44 per cent of all Australians, according to the census, identified with Christianity, 38.9 per cent with no-religion, 3.2 per cent Islam and 2.7 per cent Hinduism.
But 53 per cent of Australians say they do not know their local church at all and when asked what the impact of churches in their area was, 37 per cent didn’t know well enough to answer, according to the McCrindle survey data. Forty-four per cent of those identifying as non-religious would be slightly likely to attend a church service or event if they were personally invited by a friend or family member. The biggest barrier to attending? Busyness.
“Despite the stories in the media, three out of four people are either warm or open to Christianity,” said Geoff Brailey, McCrindle’s director of solutions. “Population growth, long term health conditions, cultural diversity and digital adoption all contribute to the change in the faith landscape. So takeaways [for Christian leaders] would be to know your community and have conversations to build bridges.”
