Australians Vote Jesus As Most Significant Figure In History
0 Comments Published by Office 2 October 10th, 2009 in A Call To Action, Australia, Bible, Christian Church Issues, Prayer, Revival, Rise Up AustraliaResearch reveals Australia is a nation of believers and full of prayer Sydney, 1 October 2009: Believer or non-believer 54% of Australians ranked Jesus as the number one most influential person in history beating Albert Einstein who came in at second place (16%) and Charles Darwin who was ranked third (9%). Research commissioned by www.allaboutlife.com.au revealed Australia is a nation of believers with approximately 5 in 6 (83%) responding that Jesus was a real figure from history. Of these believers 43% believed Jesus had miraculous powers and he was the son of God. Australia still has faith with 2 in 5 Australians stating they actually practice a religion and only 27% not believing in a God or universal power of any sort.Â
JC beats the GFC
Whilst over 3 in 5 (63%) Australians did not believe Jesus would return to Earth one day, some Aussies thought that if Jesus were alive today he would struggle in the GFC with 1 in 10 (10%) stating he would be unemployed. However more respondents had faith and felt that Jesus would beat the GFC answering his most likely occupation would be a charity worker (23%), followed by 18% of Australians responding Jesus would stick to his previous trade as a carpenter.Â
Religious or not, when times get tough, Aussies pray
While the majority of Australians do not practice a religion (60%), nearly 3 in 5 (57%) Australians pray at various times during their lives with over a third (36%) praying to God. Of those who pray the regularity varies dramatically with 29% praying daily but 19% are part-time prayers, praying just several times a year.Â
Desperate times call for desperate measures with the most common situations for prayer being when people are faced with challenging times (36%) or when a loved one has fallen ill (34%). However over 1 in 3 Australians also feel moved to pray when they are thankful for something good that has happened (34%)
Gen T-raditional
Surprisingly Gen Y proved the most traditional generation when it comes to praying choosing traditional methods of prayer practices such as closing eyes, placing hands together and bowing heads, which were most common amongst young adults. However in true Aussie style, Australians are laid back when it comes to praying with 3 in 5 having no particular rules for their praying. This tendency increases with age as older Australians (aged 64+) are the most likely to have no particular rules for their prayer. Â
The Internet does not offer help or support during tough times
When tough times come or bad things happen:
63% of Australians turn to their partners/spouse for help and emotional support and half of Australians turn to other family
Nearly half (49%) of Australians turn to their friends
Nearly a third (28%) of Australians turn to God in their time of need, while 15% turn to Jesus
The web offers the least support with only 6% of Australians turning to online friends and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter
Only 4% turn to the Internet to consult with sites such as Google.
Daniel Willis co-founder of Jesus. All About Life commented; This research gives a great insight into peoples beliefs about Jesus and their faith today. The fact that Jesus is revealed to be the most influential figure in history shows his message is as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago and people still look to him as source of inspiration. Whilst not all Australians follow a religion this research reveals that many people still pray expecting an answer and especially turn to others and faith when experiencing tough times and are in need of support. While this may not be to a religious figure, people recognize and seek hope from a power outside themselves and others. It is surprising that Gen Y appear to be more traditional, returning to the values and practices of their grandparent’s generation to help them in times of uncertainty.
For more information or interviews please contact:
Sharon Ghatora, Taurus Marketing
Tel: (02) 9415 4528 / 040 511 5973
Email: sharong@taurusmarketing.com.au
For analysis of the research please contact Mark McCrindle, McCrindle Research Tel: (02) 8824 3422 or media@mccrindle.com.au
Source: figures are from completed surveys of 1004 Australians selected from Pure Profile’s research-only panel as representative of the national population.
Research conducted by McCrindle Research for the All About Life Campaign www.allaboutlife.com.au
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