A column of current statistics selected especially for Christian communicators
Percentage of women who chose an abortion because having a baby “would change their life (job, school)”: 76
Who chose an abortion because of rape or incest: 1
Percentage of Americans involved in charity or social service activities, in 1977: 27
Involved in 1988: 48
Percentage of Americans who say they strongly object to working with people who have aids: 34
Who strongly object to working with people who don’t use deodorant: 38
Percentage of marriages today that are remarriages for one or both partners: 46
Average number of dollars, per capita, spent on lottery tickets each year, in the top ten lottery states: $135
Percentage of mothers who said they wanted their children to develop a loyalty to church, in 1924: 50
In 1978:22
Percentage of middle-level executives who spend 50 or more hours per week on their jobs: 77
Who spend 60 or more hours each week: 26
Percentage of Americans who say watching TV is their favorite way of spending an evening: 33
Who watch TV during dinner: 50
Who say a TV set is a necessity: 64
Percentage of mothers of infants (children less than 1 year old) who are employed or looking for work: 51
Percentage of adults who mostly agree or completely agree with the statement, “Even today, miracles are performed by the power of God”: 82
Where Does Time Go?
For those of you who’ve asked that question, a recent poll by Priority Management, Inc., has the answer. In a lifetime, the average American will spend:
Six months sitting at stoplights
Eight months opening junk mail
One year looking for misplaced objects
Two years unsuccessfully returning phone calls
Five years waiting in line.
– Reported in U.S. News & World Report, 1/30/89
Clergy Seen as Highly Ethical
Clergy are seen by the public as having higher “honesty and ethical standards” than people employed in any other occupation except pharmacists. Sixty percent of American adults polled said they would rate “the honesty and ethical standards” of clergy as “high” or “very high,” putting them well ahead of 23 other occupations, including: policemen (47 percent), bankers (26 percent), Congressmen (16 percent), and car salesmen (6 percent).
The study, for the Princeton Religion Research Center, showed clergy had slipped in their standing since 1985 (when 67 percent of American adults rated their honesty and ethical standards as high or very high). But in terms of “very high” ratings alone, clergy continue to be better regarded than members of any other occupation.
– Reported in Emerging Trends, 11/88
Lasting Wounds of Divorce
“Almost half of children of divorces enter adulthood as worried, under-achieving, self-deprecating, and sometimes angry young men and women,” reports Judith Wallerstein, director of the Center for the Family in Transition and author of Second Chance (Ticknor & Fields, 1988). Her conclusion is drawn from interviews conducted over a 15-year period with 60 families, mostly white middle class. Other Wallerstein findings:
Three out of five youngsters felt rejected by at least one parent
Half grew up in settings in which the parents were warring with each other even after the divorce.
– Reported in Time, 2/6/89
SOURCES – Abortion reasons: Family Planning Perspectives, 7-8/88, reported in Ms., 4/89. Volunteerism: Gallup Organization and Volunteer-The National Center, reported in Psychology Today, 10/88. Strong objections: Roper Organization, reported in Harper’s, 12/88. Remarriages: American Demographics, 10/88, reported in Single Adult Ministries Journal, 1/89. Lottery spending: Gaming & Wagering Business, reported in American Demographics, 2/89. Church loyalty: Psychology Today, 10/88. Executives’ hours: Roper Organization for U.S. News & World Report, 1/16/89. TV: 1988 Gallup Report on Book Buying, reported in Zondervan Publishing House press release; Roper Organization, reported in American Demographics, 12/88; Roper Organization, reported in Psychology Today, 3/89. Working mothers: U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, reported in American Demographics, 12/88. Miracles: Princeton Religion Research Center’s PRRC Emerging Trends, 11/88.
81 SUMMER QUARTER Leadership/89
Copyright © 1989 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
