"Overall, evangelical Christians stood out as the segment that holds views that are most dissimilar from the typical perspectives of Americans," the Barna report stated. Evangelicals were at least 10 percentage points different from the national average in eight of the 11 issues tested. Atheists and agnostics held the same difference from the national average in seven of the issues.
The majority of Americans overall said it's absolutely necessary to change national security in the US (72 per cent); the reliability and honesty in news reporting (63 per cent); the state of marriage and families (60 per cent); and the spiritual state of the country (53 per cent).
"A majority of Americans said we need significant change in relation to eight of the 11 issues we posed to them," said George Barna, who directed the study. "The desire for a new direction is harboured not simply by those on the ideological extremes, but by a majority of those who hold the ideological middle ground, as well. Americans contend that they lead a good life, but the survey points out that it is not necessarily their desired life, nor are they comfortable with the society they are leaving to their children."
Leading up to the 2008 presidential election, the study noted that the biggest issue Americans are concerned about (children's future) doesn't seem to be an issue presidential hopefuls are focused on.
"The challenge for today's leaders is to find the intersection of doing what is right and best with doing that which is popular and achievable," Barna continued. "The lack of a common vision for the future is making the identification of such common ground increasingly difficult, if not impossible.
"The presidential candidates seem to delve rather quickly into promoting programmes rather than establishing a consensus around the ideal of what America represents and where it needs to go in the years to come," the researcher continued. "Gaining widespread ownership of such a broad-based vision of the character and goals of the United States must be the starting point for rebuilding unity and strength within the nation.
"Providing a compelling and comprehensive notion of who we are as a people and what we stand for as a nation would be the most valuable contribution our leaders could offer," Barna concluded.
The latest figures, which were released Monday, were based on a survey conducted in August 2007 among 1,000 adults age 18 or older.
