This report is a collaborative effort based on the input and analysis of the following individuals. Find related reports online at pewresearch.org/internet. Primary researchers Emily A. Vogels, Research Associate Monica Anderson, Associate Director Research team Aaron Smith, Director, Data Labs Lee Rainie, Director, Internet and Technology Research Skye Toor, Data Science Assistant Brooke Auxier, Research […]

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The American Trends Panel survey methodology The American Trends Panel (ATP), created by Pew Research Center, is a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. Panelists participate via self-administered web surveys. Panelists who do not have internet access at home are provided with a tablet and wireless internet connection. The panel is being managed […]

The post Methodology appeared first on Pew Research Center.

Test your knowledge by taking our 10-question quiz about digital topics, then compare your score with other Americans who took the survey.

The post Digital Knowledge Quiz appeared first on Pew Research Center.

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that Americans’ understanding of technology-related issues varies greatly depending on the topic, term or concept. While a majority of U.S. adults can correctly answer questions about phishing scams or website cookies, other items are more challenging. For example, just 28% of adults can identify an example of two-factor […]

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For many, “socialism” is a word that evokes a weakened work ethic, stifled innovation and excessive reliance on the government. For others, it represents a fairer, more generous society.

The post In Their Own Words: Behind Americans’ Views of ‘Socialism’ and ‘Capitalism’ appeared first on Pew Research Center.

The American Trends Panel survey methodology The American Trends Panel (ATP), created by Pew Research Center, is a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. Panelists participate via self-administered web surveys. Panelists who do not have internet access at home are provided with a tablet and wireless internet connection. The panel is being managed […]

The post Methodology appeared first on Pew Research Center.

In light of Pastor Appreciation Month, which takes place annually during the month of October, Barna thanks the clergy and ministry leaders serving the global and local Church. A focus in our recent research has been equipping elder leaders to think about their legacy and young leaders to step into more senior roles—particularly as pastors increasingly represent an aging demographic. Below is a Q&A excerpt from the Leadership Transitions report, which highlights new data surrounding pastoral change within the Church.

Originally from Australia, Mandy Smith is lead pastor of University Christian Church, a campus and neighborhood congregation in Cincinnati, OH. She is a regular contributor to Christianity Today and Missio Alliance and is the author of The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry. She is also the director of Missio Alliance’s SheLeads summit and creator of The Collect, a citywide trash-to-art project. Mandy and her husband, Jamie, a New Testament professor at Cincinnati Christian University, live with their family in a little house where the teapot is always warm.

Barna: Tell us about your pastoral transition. What kind of church did you take, and what kind of leader did you succeed?

Mandy: By the time I transitioned into the senior pastor role in our congregation, I’d been associate pastor for four years, and had co-led for 18 months. It had become apparent that the lead pastor (who’d led the church for 16 years) was feeling called to justice work. He is an apostolic, courageous, justice-hearted, generous, visionary, creative, collaborative leader. He needed the space to pursue that calling.

Barna: What about the process was a challenge?

Mandy: In general the transition was quite gentle. But the change came after the pressure of “dueling callings” had been building a bit. Some of the ways the senior pastor had felt called to do justice work (such as writing and speaking at national events) had been making some people feel like he was less in touch with their local needs. That’s understandable—but it’s a conflict around a good issue: gospel calling. If I’m honest, at first I was resentful of how his other work was affecting the church and me. But at the same time I loved the work he was doing and was really proud of him. I felt torn.

Barna: How did you respond?

Mandy: I wrestled for months. What was the healthiest way to broach this conversation? I wanted to encourage him to pursue the things God was calling him to. He had been responsible for our congregation for so long, it hadn’t crossed his mind that it was okay for him to feel called to something else. As I encouraged him toward that, we decided the best path forward would be for him to transition to a part-time role, and for us to co-lead together. We had thought it would be a long-term situation, but after 18 months he stepped down, and I became lead pastor.

I had no idea as I encouraged him to pursue the things God was laying on his heart, that it would not only help him step into his calling but help me step into mine. While it was difficult at times, it was quite beautiful how God walked us both through that transition and we are still great friends. I still call him for insight on leadership here.

Barna: Looking back, what factors led to a successful transition?

Mandy: Our friendship helped us navigate the transition well. Sure, we had hard conversations, but we were able to hope for the best in each other’s motives and actions. Believing the best about the other person does wonders! I don’t think I’d change anything. It was a surprisingly smooth transition, considering he’d been lead pastor for 19 years by the time he stepped down.

Barna: What have you learned about taking over a church when your personality or demographic differs from the previous pastor?

Mandy: A gradual transition and overlap time is ideal! It was helpful that I’d already worked as associate pastor for 4 years, then co-led for 18 months before becoming the lead pastor. We went through a process (which we are just wrapping up, six years later) of gradual changes. We didn’t change the general vision (I’d been on staff before because I already valued the vision). Just changes to the specifics of how that vision is resourced and lived out.

But there could have been tremendous danger to the transition from our personal differences. I’m an introverted Australian woman who’s an artist. He is an extroverted American male who is a mathematics whiz. It helped that he is an active champion for women in ministry (not just theoretical but purposeful and proactive).

Before I came on staff, he had already walked the church through the process of welcoming women to the eldership and they’d had female pastors (campus minister, children’s pastor) preach on occasion. It was the first time they’d had a female lead pastor but he walked the congregation through those conversations. When it came to personality differences, it helped that people already knew and trusted me and so knew I wasn’t going to lead in the same way.

If I could go back in time and tell myself anything at the beginning of the process, it would be, “In every way you feel you’re different from the previous pastor, don’t be concerned that people will see it as negative.” Those differences can be strengths.

Barna: Any advice for leaders undergoing their own transition?

Mandy: The emotional and spiritual health of the pastors involved will be key as they have to lead the congregation through this transition even as they’re navigating their own transition. It was very helpful for me to have spiritual direction once I became lead pastor. I felt my differences and needed encouragement to be myself. A role like that has a way of shaping you, and not always in positive ways. I had to learn to be myself in order to bring my personal pastoral strengths and gifting into play.

Feature image by Chris Liverani on Unsplash

The post Mandy Smith on Leading Differently appeared first on Barna Group.

In light of Pastor Appreciation Month, which takes place annually during the month of October, Barna thanks the clergy and ministry leaders serving the global and local Church. A focus in our recent research has been equipping elder leaders to think about their legacy and young leaders to step into more senior roles—particularly as pastors increasingly represent an aging demographic. Below is a Q&A excerpt from the Leadership Transitions report, which highlights new data surrounding pastoral change within the Church.

Originally from Australia, Mandy Smith is lead pastor of University Christian Church, a campus and neighborhood congregation in Cincinnati, OH. She is a regular contributor to Christianity Today and Missio Alliance and is the author of The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry. She is also the director of Missio Alliance’s SheLeads summit and creator of The Collect, a citywide trash-to-art project. Mandy and her husband, Jamie, a New Testament professor at Cincinnati Christian University, live with their family in a little house where the teapot is always warm.

Barna: Tell us about your pastoral transition. What kind of church did you take, and what kind of leader did you succeed?

Mandy: By the time I transitioned into the senior pastor role in our congregation, I’d been associate pastor for four years, and had co-led for 18 months. It had become apparent that the lead pastor (who’d led the church for 16 years) was feeling called to justice work. He is an apostolic, courageous, justice-hearted, generous, visionary, creative, collaborative leader. He needed the space to pursue that calling.

Barna: What about the process was a challenge?

Mandy: In general the transition was quite gentle. But the change came after the pressure of “dueling callings” had been building a bit. Some of the ways the senior pastor had felt called to do justice work (such as writing and speaking at national events) had been making some people feel like he was less in touch with their local needs. That’s understandable—but it’s a conflict around a good issue: gospel calling. If I’m honest, at first I was resentful of how his other work was affecting the church and me. But at the same time I loved the work he was doing and was really proud of him. I felt torn.

Barna: How did you respond?

Mandy: I wrestled for months. What was the healthiest way to broach this conversation? I wanted to encourage him to pursue the things God was calling him to. He had been responsible for our congregation for so long, it hadn’t crossed his mind that it was okay for him to feel called to something else. As I encouraged him toward that, we decided the best path forward would be for him to transition to a part-time role, and for us to co-lead together. We had thought it would be a long-term situation, but after 18 months he stepped down, and I became lead pastor.

I had no idea as I encouraged him to pursue the things God was laying on his heart, that it would not only help him step into his calling but help me step into mine. While it was difficult at times, it was quite beautiful how God walked us both through that transition and we are still great friends. I still call him for insight on leadership here.

Barna: Looking back, what factors led to a successful transition?

Mandy: Our friendship helped us navigate the transition well. Sure, we had hard conversations, but we were able to hope for the best in each other’s motives and actions. Believing the best about the other person does wonders! I don’t think I’d change anything. It was a surprisingly smooth transition, considering he’d been lead pastor for 19 years by the time he stepped down.

Barna: What have you learned about taking over a church when your personality or demographic differs from the previous pastor?

Mandy: A gradual transition and overlap time is ideal! It was helpful that I’d already worked as associate pastor for 4 years, then co-led for 18 months before becoming the lead pastor. We went through a process (which we are just wrapping up, six years later) of gradual changes. We didn’t change the general vision (I’d been on staff before because I already valued the vision). Just changes to the specifics of how that vision is resourced and lived out.

But there could have been tremendous danger to the transition from our personal differences. I’m an introverted Australian woman who’s an artist. He is an extroverted American male who is a mathematics whiz. It helped that he is an active champion for women in ministry (not just theoretical but purposeful and proactive).

Before I came on staff, he had already walked the church through the process of welcoming women to the eldership and they’d had female pastors (campus minister, children’s pastor) preach on occasion. It was the first time they’d had a female lead pastor but he walked the congregation through those conversations. When it came to personality differences, it helped that people already knew and trusted me and so knew I wasn’t going to lead in the same way.

If I could go back in time and tell myself anything at the beginning of the process, it would be, “In every way you feel you’re different from the previous pastor, don’t be concerned that people will see it as negative.” Those differences can be strengths.

Barna: Any advice for leaders undergoing their own transition?

Mandy: The emotional and spiritual health of the pastors involved will be key as they have to lead the congregation through this transition even as they’re navigating their own transition. It was very helpful for me to have spiritual direction once I became lead pastor. I felt my differences and needed encouragement to be myself. A role like that has a way of shaping you, and not always in positive ways. I had to learn to be myself in order to bring my personal pastoral strengths and gifting into play.

Feature image by Chris Liverani on Unsplash

The post Mandy Smith on Leading Differently appeared first on Barna Group.

Religion in public schools has long been a controversial issue. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1962 that teachers and administrators cannot lead prayers in public schools, and a decision in 2000 barred school districts from sponsoring student-led prayers at football games. At the same time, the court has held that students retain a First […]

The post For a Lot of American Teens, Religion Is a Regular Part of the Public School Day appeared first on Pew Research Center.

The analysis of adolescents in this report is based on a self-administered web survey conducted from March 29 to April 14, 2019, among a sample of 1,811 dyads, with each dyad – or pair – comprised of one U.S. adolescent ages 13 to 17 and one parent per adolescent. The margin of sampling error for […]

The post Methodology appeared first on Pew Research Center.

Primary Researchers Elizabeth Podrebarac Sciupac, Senior Researcher Philip Schwadel, Professor of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Research Team Alan Cooperman, Director of Religion Research Gregory A. Smith, Associate Director of Research Besheer Mohamed, Senior Researcher Becka A. Alper, Research Associate Kiana Cox, Research Associate Claire Gecewicz, Research Associate Methodology Team Courtney Kennedy, Director of Survey Research […]

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More than 55 years after the Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling striking down school-sponsored prayer, Americans continue to fight over the place of religion in public schools. Questions about religion in the classroom no longer make quite as many headlines as they once did, but the issue remains an important battleground in the broader […]

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Getting news from social media is an increasingly common experience; nearly three-in-ten U.S. adults do so often.

The post Americans Are Wary of the Role Social Media Sites Play in Delivering the News appeared first on Pew Research Center.

Getting news from social media is an increasingly common experience; nearly three-in-ten U.S. adults do so often.

The post Americans Are Wary of the Role Social Media Sites Play in Delivering the News appeared first on Pew Research Center.

The post Australia’s lifestyle cities in QLD and VIC are the fastest growing appeared first on McCrindle.

This report was made possible by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. This report is a collaborative effort based on the input and analysis of the following individuals. Find related reports online at journalism.org Amy Mitchell, Director, Journalism Research Elisa Shearer, Research Associate […]

The post Acknowledgments appeared first on Pew Research Center.

The American Trends Panel survey methodology The American Trends Panel (ATP), created by Pew Research Center, is a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. Panelists participate via self-administered web surveys. Panelists who do not have internet access at home are provided with a tablet and wireless internet connection. The panel is being managed […]

The post Methodology appeared first on Pew Research Center.

Americans express overwhelmingly favorable opinions of federal agencies like the Postal Service, the National Park Service, NASA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) despite historically low levels of public trust in the federal government.

The post Public Expresses Favorable Views of a Number of Federal Agencies appeared first on Pew Research Center.

This fall marks the launch of The Connected Generation project, a Barna Group-World Vision partnership offering an unprecedented look at the faith and well-being of young adults today. In both scope and content, this first-of-its-kind study holds a unique place in Barna’s 30+ years of research. Let’s go behind the scenes to learn how we’ve been able to dramatically widen—and focus—the lens with which we view young adults around the world.

So, How Big Is This Study?
This project involved not only a large and international sample but also an extensive and highly collaborative survey design process. As partners in this research, World Vision staff in 20 countries aided with early input on the study formation, coordination of thought leaders and local contextualization. Here’s a peek at the numbers behind the data and how this portrait of the connected generation came to be.

The sample includes:
15,369 adults ages 18 to 35 in 25 countries
7,841 males and 7,479 females
(49 “Other / Prefer not to respond”)

The questionnaires included or covered:
9 language translations, including English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Romanian, Korean, Indonesian and Taiwanese
15 religious identity categories
630 country-specific regions
144 ethnic and racial groups
94 country-specific levels of education

Who Are We Listening To?
It’s important to acknowledge exactly who this study represents: respondents ages 18 to 35, from 25 different countries, who have an internet connection that allows them to participate in online surveys. The methodological obstacles make it difficult to conduct a study that is truly “global.” This international sample, rather, includes a more literate, educated and urban population than would be wholly representative of all of these countries. This is important context to keep in mind, as even a study as extensive as this one has its limitations.

So how to refer to these 18–35-year-olds across The Connected Generation report and resources? Adults in this age range are sometimes called Generation Y, Echo Boomers, iGen, Digital Natives and so on. Barna has chosen to use a variety of other terms for them in these pages. First, for clarity, they are often referred to as 18–35-year-olds from around the world. This age group also bridges the generations Barna would typically cover as Millennials and Gen Z, labels you’ll see occasionally in this report. The respondents may sometimes be referred to as emerging generations, this generation or young adults, the last of which we use to mean those on the lower end of the adult generations, not adolescents to whom this term is sometimes applied. Finally, for reasons made clear in the findings, we also proffer our own term: the connected generation.

What Did We Learn?
Looking at the general state of faith & well-being among 18–35-year-olds around the world, these are the stories that stand out.

• Connected but Alone

Despite being a hyper-connected and globally minded generation, many young adults say they feel lonely.

• Spiritual Openness

There is a general (and, at times, surprising) openness toward spirituality, religion and, in many cases, the Church—but less so among those who have left their faith.

• Age of Anxiety

Worry and insecurity, often tied to finances and vocation, are prominent traits among a generation that has come of age in a chaotic, complex time.

• Looking for Answers

Human suffering and global conflict are among the top issues that raise spiritual doubts for 18–35-year-olds.

• Resilient Discipleship

Across religious climates, the data point to keys for forming faithful Christ-followers, even among those Christians who lapse in religiosity.

• Longing to Make a Difference

When young adults engage with a community of worship, they’re looking for concrete teaching, opportunities to fight injustice and friends to join them along the way.

What’s Next?

 Leaders from Barna and World Vision introduced some of the major global findings through Faith for the Future, a live webcast in September 2019—we’ve already heard from pastors and leaders making use of this data in their context. The centerpiece of this project is The Connected Generation: How Christian Leaders Around the World Can Strengthen Faith & Well-Being Among 18–35-Year-Olds, a comprehensive summary of those findings launching in October 2019. You can also engage with country-specific reports and field guides, which will be rolled out over the next year on TheConnectedGeneration.com.

The post Behind the Numbers: How We Conducted a Global Study of Young Adults appeared first on Barna Group.

This fall marks the launch of The Connected Generation project, a Barna Group-World Vision partnership offering an unprecedented look at the faith and well-being of young adults today. In both scope and content, this first-of-its-kind study holds a unique place in Barna’s 30+ years of research. Let’s go behind the scenes to learn how we’ve been able to dramatically widen—and focus—the lens with which we view young adults around the world.

So, How Big Is This Study?
This project involved not only a large and international sample but also an extensive and highly collaborative survey design process. As partners in this research, World Vision staff in 20 countries aided with early input on the study formation, coordination of thought leaders and local contextualization. Here’s a peek at the numbers behind the data and how this portrait of the connected generation came to be.

The sample includes:
15,369 adults ages 18 to 35 in 25 countries
7,841 males and 7,479 females
(49 “Other / Prefer not to respond”)

The questionnaires included or covered:
9 language translations, including English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Romanian, Korean, Indonesian and Taiwanese
15 religious identity categories
630 country-specific regions
144 ethnic and racial groups
94 country-specific levels of education

Who Are We Listening To?
It’s important to acknowledge exactly who this study represents: respondents ages 18 to 35, from 25 different countries, who have an internet connection that allows them to participate in online surveys. The methodological obstacles make it difficult to conduct a study that is truly “global.” This international sample, rather, includes a more literate, educated and urban population than would be wholly representative of all of these countries. This is important context to keep in mind, as even a study as extensive as this one has its limitations.

So how to refer to these 18–35-year-olds across The Connected Generation report and resources? Adults in this age range are sometimes called Generation Y, Echo Boomers, iGen, Digital Natives and so on. Barna has chosen to use a variety of other terms for them in these pages. First, for clarity, they are often referred to as 18–35-year-olds from around the world. This age group also bridges the generations Barna would typically cover as Millennials and Gen Z, labels you’ll see occasionally in this report. The respondents may sometimes be referred to as emerging generations, this generation or young adults, the last of which we use to mean those on the lower end of the adult generations, not adolescents to whom this term is sometimes applied. Finally, for reasons made clear in the findings, we also proffer our own term: the connected generation.

What Did We Learn?
Looking at the general state of faith & well-being among 18–35-year-olds around the world, these are the stories that stand out.

• Connected but Alone

Despite being a hyper-connected and globally minded generation, many young adults say they feel lonely.

• Spiritual Openness

There is a general (and, at times, surprising) openness toward spirituality, religion and, in many cases, the Church—but less so among those who have left their faith.

• Age of Anxiety

Worry and insecurity, often tied to finances and vocation, are prominent traits among a generation that has come of age in a chaotic, complex time.

• Looking for Answers

Human suffering and global conflict are among the top issues that raise spiritual doubts for 18–35-year-olds.

• Resilient Discipleship

Across religious climates, the data point to keys for forming faithful Christ-followers, even among those Christians who lapse in religiosity.

• Longing to Make a Difference

When young adults engage with a community of worship, they’re looking for concrete teaching, opportunities to fight injustice and friends to join them along the way.

What’s Next?

 Leaders from Barna and World Vision introduced some of the major global findings through Faith for the Future, a live webcast in September 2019—we’ve already heard from pastors and leaders making use of this data in their context. The centerpiece of this project is The Connected Generation: How Christian Leaders Around the World Can Strengthen Faith & Well-Being Among 18–35-Year-Olds, a comprehensive summary of those findings launching in October 2019. You can also engage with country-specific reports and field guides, which will be rolled out over the next year on TheConnectedGeneration.com.

The post Behind the Numbers: How We Conducted a Global Study of Young Adults appeared first on Barna Group.