How religious are Australians? How do they view the church?

For the past 30 years, the NCLS Research team has used surveys to listen carefully to the attitudes of Australians. It has not always been a comfortable experience, yet when we pay attention to the views of those who are not the ‘insiders’ in church, it is one way to show that we try to love God and love our neighbour.

2021 ACS update

Would you like to see updated information on how Australians view the church and Jesus? Watch this webinar.

Continue reading the article below, for findings from the 2019 Australian Community Survey, by NCLS Research. 

That relationship between church and society? It’s complicated…

Only four in ten Australians agree that ‘religion is good for society’. The 2019 Australian Community Survey run by NCLS Research also found that around four in ten (36%) were neutral or unsure, whereas some two in ten (23%) disagree that religion is good for society.

Attitudes to religion in society appear to have regained more of a positive rating, over the past year. In 2016, some 39% of respondents agreed that 'religion is good for society'. This dropped to only 33% in 2018, and then rose again to 41% in 2019.

This trend may concur with the timing of investigations into the institutional church, including the Royal Commission into institutional responses to historical abuse within churches.

  

Difference in attitudes towards Christians themselves

Yet…it is complicated. While levels of confidence in the institutional church are low, when asked about their personal attitude towards Christians, 88% of Australians are either positive or neutral. Some 27% are very positive, 30% are somewhat positive, and another 31% are neither positive nor negative. This shows a difference in attitudes towards the church as an institution, compared with attitudes towards individual Christians they may know personally.

 

Connecting with God without need for church or religious services

With regard to connecting with God, four in ten Australians surveyed (40%) agree that they have their own way of connecting with God, without church or religious services. Church leaders may need to be aware that a substantial group of people in their local neighbourhoods practice their faith in connecting with God, but do not see a need to be involved in a church worship service, in order to do so.

 

 

A religious and spiritual profile of Australians

So, how spiritual or religious are Australians?

There are many ways to understand how religious or spiritual a person is.

The 2019 Australian Community Survey found that Australians are moderately religious or spiritual, in that:

• 22% attend religious services at least monthly,
• 32% pray or meditate at least once a week,
• 28% report having had mystical experiences,
• 61% belief in God or a higher power, and
• 45% say faith or spirituality is important in life decisions.

Such findings show the active practice of prayer or meditation by around a third of Australians. Around three in ten report having had a mystical or supernatural experience, about which they had no doubts it was real. Six in ten respondents profess a belief in God or a higher power and just under half report the salience of faith or spirituality in guiding their life decisions.

 

Views on Jesus Christ

Views about Jesus varied amongst survey respondents.

The erosion of basic historical knowledge about Christianity is most evident in the fact that only 57% of Australians say that Jesus Christ ‘was a real person who actually lived’. Some 22% of Australians believe Jesus Christ is a mythical or fictional character and 21% don’t know what they think.

 

Religious, spiritual, neither or both?

In the ACS, Australians were asked: “To what extent do you see yourself as a religious person?” and “To what extent do you see yourself as a spiritual person?”.

• Results reveal that Australians fall into four groups:
• Religious and spiritual (practising religious and spiritual);
• Moderately religious and spiritual (non-practising religious and spiritual);
• Spiritual but not religious; and
• Neither religious nor spiritual.

More detail on the religious and spiritual profile of Australians in available in our article Religious, spiritual, neither or both? 4 groups of Australians.

 

 

Some clues on openness to church

So, if churches seek to strengthen their connections with the wider community, what are some clues that Australians provide?

While it can be seen that the relationship between church and community is complex, that issues of mistrust in the institution exist, and that some see church worship services as irrelevant to connecting with God personally, there is evidence of openness to being invited to church.

The research provides some starting points to inviting others to church. This will be explored further in our next eNewsletter in April 2019, "Five clues to inviting people to church".

 

Related video presentations

Stand in their shoes: Exploring Australian spirituality

5min 45sec
Dr Ruth Powell explores the latest 2019 Australian Community Survey results on the spirituality of Australians. Four clusters of Australians are outlined in their approaches to spirituality and religion.
Stand in the shoes of Australians, as you come to understand a little more about their attitudes, beliefs, practices and perspectives. 

Dr Ruth Powell, Sydney, 22 November 2019.

 

It's complicated: The relationship between church and community

6min
The relationship between churches and the wider Australian community is explored in this presentation by Dr Ruth Powell, in November 2019. Drawing on the most recent Australian Community Survey findings by NCLS Research, it examines connections, openness and attitudes towards local churches in Australia.  

Dr Ruth Powell, Sydney, 22 November 2019.

 

Practitioner Q&A

28min 45sec
This Q&A session from the Australian Community and Church Summit includes insight from mission practitioners on helping churches connect with their local neighbourhoods. 
The panel gives their reflections on effective ways churches connect with their communities; social trends around faith; and what churches can better understand about 'loving your neighbour'. 

Rev Simon Hansford (UCA NSW), Pastor Paul Bartlett (ACC NSW), Simon Smart (CPX), Dr Ruth Powell (NCLS Research) and Mark McCrindle (McCrindle Research), Sydney, 22 November 2019.

 

Free online Census data- an intro to the Community Social Profile

2min 22sec
A dynamic presentation of free online Census data for any location. Click on the map or type in an address to get an immediate visual of who lives in that area. Great for church planting, community service outreach, neighbourhood support.

Sam Sterland, Sydney, 22 November 2019.

 

View the research presentation slides

Australians and Church

NCLS Research presentation slides- Dr Ruth Powell. 

The Australian Community and Church Summit, Melb: 8, Bris: 14, Syd: 22 Nov, 2019. 

View the research presentation slides