A column of current statistics selected especially for Christian communicators

Percentage of Americans who claim membership in a church or synagogue: 69

Who believe it is important to be a church member: 84

Of Americans who ate dinner last night, the percentage who ate alone: 22

Estimated number of pages that will be faxed in the United States this year, per person: 240

Of the world's 164 countries, the number that have safe water: 54

Percentage of parents who say they feel very comfortable discussing sex with their oldest child under 18: 59

Percentage who say they never discuss sex with their children: 14

Number of U.S. states that have more men than women: 5

Increase, since 1980, in the median income of an American, in constant dollars: $64

Increase, since 1980, in the median cost of a new home, in constant dollars: $16,170

Percentage of Americans who do not read books: 50

Percentage of Christian teenagers who say the Bible's guidelines for sex apply today: 62

Who say they don't: 19

Who don't know: ...