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Faith in politics?
Exploring the political views of evangelicals
today
Spring 2015
Part of the 21st Century Evangelicals research series
www.eauk.org/surveys
Faith in politics?
– Only 6% think politicians can be trusted to keep their manifesto promises
– Half are less likely to believe what a politician says than they were five years ago
– Only a quarter think the secular political system is fair to Christians
– Almost 6 in 10 believe none of the major parties support Christian values
Evangelicals are disillusioned with politics
www.eauk.org/surveys
Engaged in politics
– 94% are certain or likely to vote in the general election
– 30% are very interested in politics– A quarter said they are more aware of how they
can get involved in political issues than they were five years ago
– 78% have signed an e-petition last year (compared to 9% of the general population)
Faith in politics?
www.eauk.org/surveys
– Evangelicals prioritise candidates who are:• Honourable and not corrupt• Have clear convictions and stick to them • Have a good record as a local MP or councillor
– 92% think we need to see more Christians willing to get involved in party politics and stand for election
– Just 7% said they had been explicitly encouraged by their church to get involved in party politics
Looking for honourable public leaders
Faith in politics?
www.eauk.org/surveys
Prioritising the common good– In a general election, the highest proportion (39%) prioritise the party most helping others in need– Policies that will affect evangelicals’ vote:
1. Religious liberty
2. Policies likely to make a positive difference to the poorest people in the UK
3. Policies to eliminate human trafficking
Faith in politics?
www.eauk.org/surveys
– Poverty/inequality was ranked the most important issue facing the UK today – selected by 32% of evangelicals, compared to just 4% of the national population
– Only 6% of evangelicals thought immigration was the UK’s key issue, compared to 21% of the population
The UK’s top issue
Faith in politics?
www.eauk.org/surveys
– 24% are still undecided which way they will vote
– 39% say they won’t be voting for the same party as they did in 2010
Voting differently
Faith in politics?
www.eauk.org/surveys
Faith in politics?
How evangelicals plan to vote…
Our 2014 survey
Our 2010 survey
Labour 31% 22%Conservative 28% 40%
Lib Dem 11% 29%UKIP 12% 2%Green 6% 1%Other 12% 6%
www.eauk.org/surveys
– A third have been explicitly encouraged by their church to vote, and 30% to support or oppose a particular policy
– Only 2% said their church had openly encouraged them to support or oppose a particular candidate
– Only 7% had been encouraged by their church to get involved in party politics
Politics and the pulpit
Faith in politics?
www.eauk.org/surveys
The issues most talked about in UK churches:
1.UK poverty
2.Marriage
3.International religious freedom/persecution
4.International poverty
5.Human trafficking and slavery
Politics and the pulpit
Faith in politics?
www.eauk.org/surveys
Time to consider…
• How do you decide who to vote for?
• Have you ever thought of joining a political party?
• Do you think churches are good at encouraging Christians to get involved in politics and be public leaders?
• Are there creative ways your church can encourage people to think through political issues and to engage in politics?
www.eauk.org/surveys
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