Our society is becoming increasingly diverse when it comes to matters of faith and spiritual belief. So, how familiar are Australians with the Christian faith, today?
In previous generations, the Christian faith was taught in schools and many children grew up going to Sunday School or Mass. Now, the situation has changed, and NCLS Research was curious to see how familiar modern Australians are with the central tenets of Christianity.
The 2021 Australian Community Survey (2021 ACS) asked a representative group of Australians over 18 years old, how familiar they were with the teaching and values of the Christian faith.
More than half of those surveyed (56%) indicated some level of familiarity with the Christian faith. Of those, some 22% said they had a strong understanding of Christianity's teachings and values, while the remaining 34% said they were familiar with most of Christianity's teachings and values.
These results indicate many Australians have at least some knowledge of Christian teaching.
However, of those who were surveyed, 22% said they had limited knowledge of the Christian faith and another 22% had little or no familiarity with Christian teaching or values.
As Christians engage with others in conversations around their faith, these findings may help them better understand the levels of awareness within modern day Australian society. This is particularly important as we approach Easter, a major celebration in the Christian faith and a time when many Australians connect with congregations and churchgoers.
Further information about the attitudes of Australians, including their views of Jesus and the story of his resurrection, can be found in our article ‘Was Jesus real? Did he rise from the dead? This is what Australians think.’
