More than 40% of Australians say they would go to church this Easter if invited by family or friends.
That’s according to a National Church Life Survey (NCLS) taken at the end of last year.
It found people from all age groups were equally likely to say ‘yes’ to an invitation.
The survey revealed that those most likely to attend an Easter service were women, university graduates and people from non-English speaking countries.
The survey’s research director Dr. Ruth Powell says people are more receptive to attending church at a significant time like Easter.
She explained that relationships were essential for authentic engagement and that “Easter is an excellent time for churchgoers to invite family and friends to join Christian celebrations and have respectful conversations about matters of faith.”
59% of survey respondents claimed that they have a strong understanding of, or are mostly familiar with, Christianity’s teaching and values.
Significantly at Easter, 53% believe Jesus was a real person who actually lived; while 26% said they were unsure; and 21% said they thought Jesus was a myth or fictional character.
Overall, only 17% of Australians have attended an Easter service over the past three years.
The latest NCLS survey found 41% of Australians had limited or no familiarity with Christianity.
“When having conversations about Easter, churchgoers should be aware that Australians may not know as much about the Christian faith as you might expect,” Dr. Powell warned.
