Study: Americans Not Putting Much Effort in Growing Spiritually
A recent study by Ventura-based Barna Research Group found that nearly half of adults said there is nothing they would like to change in their spiritual life although 62 % considered themselves “deeply spiritual.”
George Barna, who led the study, say that Americans usually have no problem admitting when “they find it difficult to successfully juggle all the pieces of their life,” but the study suggests that “Americans have no plan for spiritual advancement and are not exerting much effort to grow in their faith.”
According to the study, two-thirds of atheists and agnostics and six out of ten adherents of non-Christian faiths said they found no aspect of their spiritual life they would like to change. Only 13% of evangelical Christians were not able to name something to change in their spiritual life.
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Across different Christian faiths, Protestants were also three times more likely than Catholics to name Bible knowledge, prayer, being more Christ-like or being closer to God as a spiritual change they would like to make. Catholics were more likely to list increased family-oriented faith experiences
Among the spiritual activities respondents said gave them the most spiritual fulfillment, twenty-three of people said attending church services and events was the most fulfilling spiritual activity in their life, (9%) identified prayer as the most fulfilling spiritual activity they undertake, and Bible reading was named by 7%.
Less than one percent listed worshipping God as the most satisfying spiritual activity.
Adults under 40 were much more likely than older adults to say they desire more involvement in or connection to a church, reported Barna.
The study found that the larger the church the respondent attended, the more likely they would mention prayer as their greatest source of spiritual fulfillment. People were 50% more likely to name prayer as the number one spiritual fulfilling activity if they attended churches of 500 or more adults than those who attend smaller congregations.
There was also a correlation between gender and being able to identify something spiritually satisfying, according to the study, which held that men were twice as likely as women to say there was nothing in particular that gave them a sense of spiritual fulfillment.
Barna noted that people are more interested “in increasing the degree of the spiritual activities in which they presently engage” and “have little interest in expanding their spiritual life to be more well-rounded and robust.”
“The survey suggests that nearly 120 million adults are seeking to become more spiritually adept. To accomplish that goal, they need guidance, a plan of action and some realistic forms of accountability,” he added.
“Doing more of the same activity that got them where they are today is not the solution to getting them to where they want to be tomorrow.”
The study was conducted in September 2004 by interviewing 1010 adults over the telephone with a sampling error of ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
