A column of current statistics selected especially for Christian communicators
Fast Facts
Percentage of Americans who believe in heaven: 71
Who believe in hell: 53
Who believe in reincarnation: 15
Percentage of income given to charitable causes, by households with incomes below $10,000: 2.8
By households with incomes from $50,000 to $75,000:1.5
Percentage of Americans who admit they have changed their behavior or plans on the basis of an astrology report: 7
Percentage of single adults, who, the day after sleeping with a new partner, wonder if they have entered a committed relationship: 14
Percentage who wonder if they have contracted a disease: 62
Percentage of newlyweds who, before the wedding, doubted they were marrying the right person: 41
Percentage who, six months into the marriage, believed their unions might not last: 51
Percentage who rated their marriages as happy: 91
Percentage of married couples remaining together in any one year: 98
Percentage of Americans who believe it’s not wrong to cheat a little on taxes since the government spends too much money anyway: 18
Percentage of executives who rank themselves as their “most trusted confidant in an ethical situation”: 44
Percentage of business managers who say they turn to God when facing an ethical decision: 3
Percentage of baby boomers (ages 22-42) who say they regularly attend a church or synagogue: 11
Who attend fewer than ten times per year: 61
Who never attend: 28
Percentage of Americans who say they have had a religious or mystical experience-a moment of sudden religious insight or awakening: 33
Living Together
About 2.3 million unmarried American couples are living together, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 1987 count. Do live-in arrangements pay off in long-lasting, satisfying relationships? Consider the following:
Couples who live together before marrying have nearly an 80 percent higher divorce rate than those who do not (recent National Bureau of Economic Research survey).
Couples who live together before marriage are less happy in their marriages (National Council on Family Relations 1983 study).
40 percent of women in live-in arrangements said they had endured a kind of sex they didn’t want or enjoy (New Woman magazine 1986 survey).
– Reported in Single Adult Ministries Journal, July-August, 1988
Favorite Hymns
Which hymns do Americans most enjoy singing? The Gallup Organization reported these were the top five:
1. Amazing Grace
2. How Great Thou Art
3. Rock of Ages
4. Battle Hymn of the Republic
5. The Old Rugged Cross
Alcoholism
Alcoholic beverages get a lot of positive attention on weekend commercials. But those ads don’t mention the devastating consequences of alcoholism:
Alcoholism is our third worst national health problem, following only cancer and heart disease.
Heavy drinking contributes to an estimated 80 percent of fire and drowning accidents, 60 percent of violent crimes, and 30 percent of suicides.
Someone dies because of drunken driving every twenty-two minutes.
An estimated ten million Americans suffer from alcoholism. Add in the family members and close friends of these alcoholics, and you find that one-fifth of the American population is severely impacted by alcoholism.
Sources – Afterlife: The Gallup Report, 5/85; Roper Organization study for Public Opinion magazine, reported in Psychology Today, 9/88. Charitable giving: Gallup Organization survey for Independent Sector, reported in The Christian Century, 12/14/88. Astrology: Roper Organization study for Public Opinion magazine, reported in Psychology Today, 9/88. Seven percent of the population represents as many as 12 million adults. The morning after: Psychology Today, 10/88. Newlyweds: Survey of 346 newlyweds by Samuel Parker, a New York psychiatrist; reported in U.S. News & World Report, 5/30/88. Lasting marriages: Psychology Today, 9/88. Tax cheats: 100% American by Daniel E. Weiss (Poseidon Press, 1988), reported in Good Housekeeping, 10/88. Ethical decisions: 1987 survey of 4,000 executives by McFeely Wackerle Jett, reported in Harper’s, 7/88; Wall Street Journal, 9/8/87, reported in Harper’s. Baby boomers: People magazine survey, reported in Discipleship Journal, 11-12/87. Religious experience: Princeton Religious Research Center’s PRRC Emerging Trends, 10/88. Favorite hymns: Princeton Religious Research Center’s PRRC Emerging Trends, 10/88. Alcoholism: Dying for a Drink by Anderson Spickard, M.D., and Barbara R. Thompson (Word, 1985).
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Copyright © 1989 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
