(Ventura, CA)-As America’s culture continues to evolve through new worldviews, icons and values, Christians involved in ministry report greater challenges in reaching non-believers with the message of Jesus Christ. A new nationwide survey of 1,002 adults conducted by the Barna Research Group provides some insights into why outreach efforts seem more difficult than ever. An analysis of people’s time and resource management indicates that the nation is splintering into increasingly smaller, sharply defined and diverse segments. The ministry strategies that may have reached the masses in years past have less relevance and appeal to growing proportions of the American population.

In a survey that asked people to indicate which of 34 different experiences they had engaged in during the previous week, the results reveal that a majority of Americans undertake one-third of those behaviors in a typical week. Those endeavors included the following:

The study examined participation in a number of activities often referred to as “at-risk behaviors.” While none of them are common to a majority of adults in any given week, those behaviors (such as smoking, viewing pornography or gambling) involve tens of millions of people.

 
Socioeconomic Distinctions

One of the most substantial disparities was found between "upscale" and "downscale" adults. The former group is comprised of people who have a college degree and above-average household income levels. Downscale individuals lack a four-year college degree and have average or below-average household incomes. Education and money affect how people live in significant ways. For instance, the upscale group is considerably more likely to spend time using computers and the Internet, reading, and attending church events during a typical week. They are also much more likely to discuss current world events and personal matters with other people, and more frequently go out of their way to pass an encouraging word to someone who is discouraged. The upscalers who are born again are not, however, more likely to share their faith in Jesus Christ with non-believers.

In general, the educated-affluent operate in a fast-moving, content-rich, networked world. Participating in behaviors that reflect "good citizenship" is more common among the upscalers than among others: they have the highest levels of recycling, volunteering to help community groups, and voting. They are also more likely to exercise regularly and to turn off a television program because they disagree with its values or perspectives.

Downscale individuals, on the other hand, are less likely to engage in issues-related conversations and generally keep their own counsel on personal matters. They are, however, more likely to consult non-traditional sources of spiritual insight such as psychics and horoscopes, and are more likely than their well-to-do counterparts to pray to God during the week. Downscale adults are more than twice as likely to use tobacco products and more than ten times more likely to give other drivers "the finger" while on the road.

Surprisingly, both upscale and downscale individuals were equally likely to gamble, view pornography, engage in sex outside of marriage, and get drunk. Adults in the socioeconomic middle ground are those most often engaged in extramarital sex.

Sociopolitical Ideology

Political leanings are closely related to lifestyle choices and interests, too. Those who describe themselves as "conservative" on social and political issues were more likely than self-described "liberals" to spend time discussing faith and family issues, engage in Bible reading and church attendance, and to volunteer at churches and community groups. They were less likely to recycle products or to smoke tobacco.

Liberals, on the other hand, were most likely to spend time talking to others about politics, the content of television shows and movies, and sports. They were much less likely to stop viewing a television program because of its content and to pray to God. Comparatively speaking, liberals were much more likely than others to get drunk, illegally download music from the Internet, and three times more likely than conservatives to have extramarital sexual relations during a typical week.

Similar distinctions emerged according to political party registration. Republicans were more likely than Democrats of Independents to discuss the three F’s: faith, family, and finances. Frequent visitors to the Internet, they were also the least likely to contact political officials to express an opinion.

Democrats stood out as the group most likely to have extramarital sex and to read their horoscope, and least likely to reject a television program because of its content.

Independents emerged as the group most detached from organized religious activity. They were least likely to attend church, read the Bible or volunteer at a church.

The most well-defined political group of all, however, is the one-third of the adult population that is not registered to vote. The theme for this segment is "disconnection." The unregistered masses are the least likely of any political segment - based on ideology or party identification - to spend time reading, volunteering, exercising, using a computer, participating in any organized religious activity, contacting a political official, or encouraging other people. They are the most likely of all to get drunk, have sex with someone other than a spouse, and view pornography.

Regional Realities

Despite the great amount of population mobility in the U.S. - about one out of every six households moves to a new location each year - the four major regions of the nation have retained some unique characteristics. While the Northeast and West are similar in many respects, and the Midwest and South share many traits with each other, the coastal regions in particular emerged as distinctive.

Residents of the northeastern states are discernible as those most likely to read, attend a movie theatre, use a personal computer, do yoga, smoke and play the lottery in a typical week. They are also the group least likely to volunteer to help a community organization, participate in church life, read the Bible, pray, or discuss sports or parenting.

People located in the western states are equally likely to read, use computers, and play the lottery, and just as unlikely as easterners to read the Bible, attend church events, pray or volunteer at a church. They were also more likely than other Americans to discuss politics and sports, to exercise, and to illegally download music. They were less likely to smoke tobacco products than people from any other region.

Age Factors

Baby Busters often describe themselves as the most "relationally authentic" of the nation’s five generations. However, their behavior indicates that they are more likely than any other generation to engage in sex outside of marriage, less likely to devote time to serving others, and are the least values-driven segment. More than others, they engage in conversation pertaining to sports. They are also the group least likely to read the Bible, attend church services, pray, or help at a church.

One of the biggest turnarounds is evident in the behavior and leanings of Baby Boomers. Once viewed as spiritual antagonists, political activists, and non-traditionalists, Boomers have retained their penchant for confounding the experts. Though they were the first generation raised with omnipresent television and were instrumental in introducing computers to the world, they are more likely to read for pleasure than any other generational group in the nation. The generation that made "sex, drugs and rock-and-roll" its theme, Boomers are now only one-third as likely to have extramarital sex as are Busters; are the generation least likely to get drunk; and are no more likely to illegally download music from the Internet than are the Net-impaired Seniors. Despite their early flirtation with eastern religions and philosophy, only 3% of Boomers engage in yoga in a typical week (compared to 10% of Busters).

It is the older two generations, however, who have remained most consistent in their lifestyle choices. The Builders and Seniors together emerge as the generations most likely to turn off disagreeable television programs, and are the most likely to read the Bible, and attend church services. They are also least likely to discuss controversial matters, ranging from politics to faith, and morality to money. They are also less likely to view pornography and to use the Internet or a computer.

Racial Differences

Whites, blacks and Hispanics have some identifiable variations in their lifestyle choices. Whites emerged as the group most likely to use computers and the Internet, most comfortable discussing political events, most often encouraging those who are down in the dumps, and the least likely of all to pray.

Blacks are the most likely to discuss faith and morality, but the least likely to contact a political official to express and opinion. They are also the most likely ethnic group to engage in several "at-risk" behaviors, including extramarital sex, viewing pornography, and smoking. They have the lowest incidence of exercise, but the highest levels of horoscope examination, church attendance and Bible reading.

Hispanics, recently identified by the Census Bureau as the second-largest minority population in the country, share some similarities with blacks. Their levels of horoscope use, extramarital sex and pornographic exposure are similar. However, they are at the opposite end of the scale regarding frequency of conversations regarding either faith or morality. Hispanics are also the group most likely to buy lottery tickets and the least likely to volunteer at a community group or church.

Few Significant Distinctions Regarding Children and Gender

There were a few noteworthy distinctions between married and single adults. The former have a higher level of faith-related activity, community volunteerism, recycling, and exercise. Single adults, on the other hand, are more inclined to smoke, engage in extramarital sex, and read their horoscope.

One of the surprises of the research, though, was that the presence of children in a home makes no apparent difference in the "at-risk" behavior of the adults. Parents whose children live in the same home are just as likely as adults without children in the home to view pornography, have extramarital sex, smoke, get drunk, gamble, and illegally download music. The spiritual activities of parents were also on par with non-parents: they were just as likely to attend church, read the Bible, and discuss moral issues and spiritual beliefs.

Gender Gap Alive and Well

The widely acknowledged differences between men and women are readily evident in terms of the weekly behaviors each gender undertakes. Women are more likely to engage in conversations related to spirituality, parenting, and moral issues; to encourage someone; and to volunteer at a community organization. Women are also more likely to attend church, read the Bible, and pray to God.

Men are more likely to participate in "at-risk" behaviors such as visiting adult-only websites, gambling, smoking, and drunkenness. They are also more likely than women to foster discussions about sports and politics. Men are also four times more likely to give someone "the finger" while driving and to illegally download music from the Internet.

The Most Pronounced Differences

The study showed that the population categories harboring the greatest number of differences among its groups were those related to political party affiliation, socioeconomic status, generation and ethnicity. The category that generated the least variation among its constituencies pertained to the presence of children.

Ministry Implications Explored

The results of the study may help Christians to develop more effective means of connecting with non-Christians. "The survey shows that some topics of conversation or shared experiences may not resonate with certain people groups," explained George Barna, the Directing Leader of the company that conducted the national survey. "In a culture that is increasingly seeking customized, perfect-fit adventures and relationships, grasping the nuances of a person’s expectations may help us to build more meaningful and fulfilling relationships, and to be able to serve people better."

Upon analyzing more than sixty subgroups of the population, Barna concluded that the people groups most at variance from population norms are upscale adults, people not registered to vote, people 60 or older, and blacks. "Those four segments will be the greatest challenge for most people to connect with because the perspectives and lifestyle choices of those groups are so divergent from the norm. Ministries seeking to serve those segments would do well to study them closely to avoid reliance upon unwarranted assumptions that reduce meaningful connections and impact."

Research Source and Methodology

The data in this report are based on a nationwide telephone survey conducted by the Barna Research Group from its interviewing facility in Ventura, CA. The OmniPollSM survey involved interviews among 1,002 adults during May 2003. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample of adults is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. People in the 48 continental states were eligible to be interviewed and the distribution of those individuals coincided with the geographic dispersion of the U.S. population. Multiple callbacks were used to increase the probability of including a reliable distribution of qualified individuals.
 

The Barna Group, Ltd. (which includes its research division, The Barna Research Group) is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization that conducts primary research on a wide range of issues and products, produces resources pertaining to cultural change, leadership and spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org). Additional research-based resources, both free and at discounted prices, are also available through that website.