October 1, 2009

Australians vote Jesus as #1 most significant figure in history

Believer or non-believer, 54% of Australians ranked Jesus as the number one most influential person in history beating Albert Einstein who came in at second place (16%) and Charles Darwin who was ranked third (9%).

Research commissioned by www.allaboutlife.com.au revealed Australia is a nation of believers with approximately 5 in 6 (83%) responding that Jesus was a real figure from history.

Of these believers 43% believed Jesus had miraculous powers and he was the son of God. Australia still has faith with 2 in 5 Australians stating they actually practice a religion and only 27% not believing in a God or universal power of any sort.

JC beats the GFC

Whilst over 3 in 5 (63%) Australians did not believe Jesus would return to Earth one day, some Aussies thought that if Jesus were alive today he would struggle in the GFC with 1 in 10 (10%) stating he would be unemployed.

However more respondents had faith and felt that Jesus would beat the GFC answering his most likely occupation would be a charity worker (23%), followed by 18% of Australians responding Jesus would stick to his previous trade as a carpenter.

Religious or not, when times get tough, Aussies pray

While the majority of Australians do not practice a religion (60%), nearly 3 in 5 (57%) Australians pray at various times during their lives with over a third (36%) praying to God.

Of those who pray the regularity varies dramatically with 29% praying daily but 19% are part-time prayers, praying just several times a year.

Desperate times call for desperate measures with the most common situations for prayer being when people are faced with challenging times (36%) or when a loved one has fallen ill (34%). However over 1 in 3 Australians also feel moved to pray when they are thankful for something good that has happened (34%)

Gen T-raditional

Surprisingly Gen Y proved the most traditional generation when it comes to praying choosing traditional methods of prayer practices such as closing eyes, placing hands together and bowing heads, which were most common amongst young adults. However in true Aussie style, Australians are laid back when it comes to praying with 3 in 5 having no particular rules for their praying. This tendency increases with age as older Australians (aged 64+) are the most likely to have no particular rules for their prayer.

The Internet does not offer help or support during tough times

When tough times come or bad things happen:

Daniel Willis, co-founder of Jesus. All About Life, commented, “This research gives a great insight into people’s beliefs about Jesus and their faith today. The fact that Jesus is revealed to be the most influential figure in history shows his message is as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago and people still look to him as source of inspiration.

"While not all Australians follow a religion this research reveals that many people still pray expecting an answer and especially turn to others and faith when experiencing tough times and are in need of support.

"While this may not be to a religious figure, people recognize and seek hope from a power outside themselves and others. It is surprising that Gen Y appear to be more traditional, returning to the values and practices of their grandparent’s generation to help them in times of uncertainty."