A new survey has given a degree of insight into the spirituality of Australians, with over a third of the population (35 per cent) feeling “a sense of awe at the beauty of nature” at least once a week.
The research was conducted by the National Church Life Survey (NCLS) and coincides with the official census.
While over a third said they felt a sense of awe at nature on a regular basis, the vast majority of those surveyed also reported such feelings at least “several times a year”.
Just nine per cent said they “seldom” had such feelings while five per cent reported “never” feeling a sense of awe at nature's beauty.
When asked how often they felt a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness, a majority (84 per cent) reported such feelings at least several times a year, with a third saying they had such feelings every week.
Just 12 per cent said they “seldom” felt gratitude, while five per cent said they never had such feelings.
The NCLS is also surveying Australian churches to get a better idea of the spiritual life of the nation’s Christians and of the health of the Church in the country.
The survey will examine the size of denominations, political voting patterns and how much concern for the environment matters to Australian churches. Hundreds of thousands of churchgoers are expected to take part in the survey along with more than 22 Christian denominations.
Previous surveys have indicated that Christians in Australia tend to vote for conservative parties at elections.
An increasing concern for the environment has also been noticed among churches, with 38 per cent saying they included environmental concerns in worship during the 2021 survey, up from 26 per cent in 2011.
There appears to be a mismatch between churches and believers on this issue, however, as the same research has shown a decline in the percentage of individual Christians agreeing that they have a responsibly to be active on environmental issues – from 81 per cent in 2011 to 77 per cent in 2021.
