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

Visit www.eauk.org/surveys to:

- download the report and discussion questions

-order paper copies

-join the panel to have your say

www.eauk.org/surveys