Categories: Local
      Date: Oct  7, 2009
     Title: Jesus still the one

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.
 

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.

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.

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.

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 people’s 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.

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

Additional results:

Top 10 influential figures in history (% shows respondents who ranked the figure as most influential):

Jesus – 54%
Albert Einstein – 16%
Charles Darwin – 9%
Buddha – 6%
Issac Newton – 5%
Galileo – 4%
Muhammad – 3%
Louis Pasteur – 2%
Confucius – 1%
Karl Marx – 0%

If Jesus were living in Australia today what occupation would Jesus have?

Charity Worker/Ambassador – 23%
Carpenter – 18%
Priest – 14%
Teacher – 13%
Fisherman – 3%
Farmer – 2%
Environmental worker – 2%
Actor – 1%
Medical Professional – 1%
Musician – 1%
Sportsperson or Finance - less than 1%
Other – 9% (answers included preacher, King of Earth, Salesman, Faith Healer, Activist, Magician, Hypnotist, Tent Evangelist, Con Artist, Merchant Banker, Counselor,  Life coach like Tony Robbins)

Jesus. All about Life was developed by The Bible Society NSW in 2003 as a means of raising awareness and the message of Jesus to the Australian community, through the support of all major denominations and local churches.

The Campaign has widespread, cross-denomination support from all major denominations including the Anglican Church, the Presbyterian Church, Baptist Union, Catholic Church, Seventh Day Adventist, Wesley Mission, Hillsong, Scripture Union, c3 church, Churches of Christ and the Salvation Army.

The campaign comprises of digital, outdoor, radio, press and TV advertising and will run from 14 September for six weeks.