When it comes to what changes are "absolutely necessary" for the United States to address in the next 10 years, the most likely answer among Americans concerns children's future. Among evangelicals, however, the priority is very different, a new survey found.
Among a number of social groups, including conservatives, liberals, blacks and whites, the latest Barna survey has found that the most radical differences of opinion on what needs to change in America lie between evangelicals and those who are not born-again Christians.
Overall, 82 per cent of American adults said a change in the overall care and resources devoted to children is absolutely necessary in the immediate future. Evangelicals were 20 percentage points below in ranking that issue a top priority.
While enhancing the health of Christian churches was listed as the lowest priority among Americans (44 per cent), evangelicals listed it among their highest priorities in changes that need to be addressed.
Also among top evangelical priorities were upgrading the state of marriage and families and improving the spiritual condition of the nation. In each of those cases, evangelicals were more than 30 percentage points more likely than other adults to identify those issues as an absolute priority focus for the immediate future. Improving the moral content of mass entertainment was also a top priority for evangelicals.
Some of the issues evangelicals placed at the lower end of priorities for change included protecting the environment (35 per cent), improving the quality of public school education, and enhancing the lives of the poor and disadvantaged.
Meanwhile, 60 per cent of other American adults said a change was absolutely necessary in the investment in environmental protection; 82 per cent said the same on the issue of improving the quality of a public school education; and 69 per cent said improving the lives of poor and disadvantaged people is needed.
