Did you know that more people in the Australian community are open to accepting an invitation to church from a close friend or family member than are closed to it? This is what we have repeatedly found in our annual Australian Community Survey.
The 2026 Australian Community Survey canvasses a sample of the wider Australian population. According to this year's survey, in 2026, 41% of respondents say that they are fairly certain they would say yes, or would probably say yes to an invitation to church, while 33% would probably or certainly say no. Another 16% were unsure, while 9% didn’t have close friends or family who attend church.
This result can be encouraging for local churches to share with their churchgoers- some 4 in 10 people are open to being invited to church, so why not as a friend or relative along?
Also, in 2026 we will be surveying churchgoers in the National Church Life Survey. We ask church attenders whether they have invited – or would be prepared to invite – their friends and relatives who don’t attend a church to a church service. We then report the results back to local churches for them to learn from and take action.
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