Christians More Engaged Through Social Media, Evangelical Survey Finds
A new survey released in the United Kingdom has found that Christians are more engaged in politics and are concerned with a wider range of issues outside of the traditional, moralizing perspectives.
The Evangelical Alliance is exploring, as part of an ongoing study, the views, behaviors and practices of evangelical Christians.
The latest survey titled “Are We Communicating” poses questions relating to how Christians engage and interact within their own Christian communities and with the wider world. It tries to identify and explain the concerns that are held by Christians.
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The study found that 52 percent of Christians contacted their local political official by email while only 18 percent of the general public engaged political officials in the same manner.
While many still believe that face-to-face interaction is still very important, in the digital age more are finding a way to talk online. Forty-five percent were using Facebook and other social media to convey ideas, while more than 50 percent were using email to contact various groups and organizations.
The study also found that 85 percent of those surveyed believed the Church had little or no influence on society.
However, it was also found 76 percent believed that the internet provides an excellent way for churches to share the word of God with the wider public.
Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance has said, "Once again our research has produced a fascinating picture of evangelical habits and beliefs. Evangelicals are web-savvy and not slow in communicating our issues to those in power.”
The organization produces quarterly reports related to the beliefs and habits of evangelical Christians. The latest report, which surveyed 1,161 people, was a continuation of another survey titled “21st Century Evangelicals,” which had 17,000 participants and was published in January.
The aim of the survey was to provide churches and Christian organizations resources and information in order to offer them a better understanding of the communities they serve.
Clifford said, “There are still concerns about where the internet is taking us… We now have a wider range of media than ever before so let's use it to share the most important message of all."
