Study: ‘Younger Evangelicals Use Traditional Media As Part Of Their Faith Practices’
By Movieguide® Staff
Recent research conducted by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research explored how evangelical Christians use media.
The “Media Matters: Evangelicals and Media” report surveyed 1,000 American Christians and asked them to discern “specifically Christian” content.
While those surveyed said they viewed primarily Christian content from media outlets like broadcast radio, podcasts, and books they consumed predominantly non-Christian content from television, streaming, and websites.
The study reads:
Those with greater overall spiritual engagement (more frequent churchgoers, more frequent Bible readers, are part of a small group for Bible study or prayer)
Those who are charismatic or Pentecostal (reporting having personally spoken in tongues)
Those in the lowest income group (below $30,000 household income, compared to mid-level and high-income evangelicals who tend to use less Christian media)
Mark Dreistadt, founder and president of Infinity Concepts, said that younger Christians are more likely to explore new technology.
“As we would expect, younger evangelicals are especially likely to use newer forms of media, such as satellite radio, Internet radio, apps, and podcasts,” he said in a recent press release. “But substantial proportions of younger evangelicals also use more traditional media, such as television and printed books, as part of their faith practices. Younger evangelicals use a wider variety of different media than their older counterparts.”
Ron Sellers, president of Grey Matter Research, added: “We’ve seen this in many other areas – something new is introduced and it’s predicted to be the quick death of something traditional. For instance, we saw it with e-readers, which were quickly predicted to kill off printed books. Instead, what often happens is consumers adopt the new along with the old rather than instead of the old, depending on specific needs.”
Movieguide® previously reported on the connection between media and Christianity:
The Barna Group and the Impact 360 Institute released a new report that shows teens who spend more time reading the Bible have better screen-time discernment.
Barna Group President David Kinnaman claims that on average, teenagers spend over 5 hours on their smartphones. Furthermore, young adults spend over six hours per day.
“We’re all, as human beings, in this experiment of what it’s going to be like for us to be in a digital environment to be raised in a world that I call ‘Digital Babylon,’ where so many of the controlling factors are different than they would have been in the past,” Kinnaman said.
However, Kinnaman also explained how the Barna report also showed that a commitment to reading Scripture, church, and faith “are more discerning when it comes to their devices,”
“There’s this really interesting interconnection between being a resilient disciple and also how you use your screentime,” Kinnaman said. “They have a more positive outlook and greater mental and emotional health.”
He added: “Being a resilient Christian doesn’t just mean you have a stronger faith, but you’re actually stronger in some of the ways that matter most in real life.”
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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