Barna’s latest research shows that only 51% of all faith voters are likely to vote in November. That means a full 104 million faith voters are unlikely to vote this election—including 41 million born-again Christians (defined by their beliefs regarding sin and salvation, not self-identification), 32 million regular Christian church attenders, and 14 million who attend an evangelical church.
Apathy among Christian voters could be “a gamechanger” this election, according to Barna.
The research shows that this election season is marked by a significant drop in voter enthusiasm, particularly among Christian voters who have historically been key players in determining the outcome of presidential races, he said.
The results also revealed that large numbers of Christian churches have distanced themselves from the election, refusing to even encourage congregants to vote and avoiding teaching related to many of the key social issues on which the election may hinge.
“I see two huge take-aways from this blockbuster report,” said Len Munsil, President of Arizona Christian University and a former Republican nominee for Governor of Arizona. “First, that Christians could be the deciding factor in a bunch of federal and state races—and are choosing not to be. And second, that they are longing for their local church to instruct them on how to think biblically about policy and politics. They don’t want to be told how to vote, but they do want to know why they should vote, and how to view political issues from a biblical framework.
“The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 29:2 that ‘when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan,'” Munsil said. “But without pastors willing to speak about the Bible’s perspective on policy issues, and without them encouraging Christians to vote, it’s hard to see how we can have the kind of godly government that would enable our people to rejoice.”
One of the most important findings of the research is the depressed voting intent of “people of faith.” The survey defined “people of faith” as either someone who described themselves as “a person of religious faith” or as someone who associated with some recognized religious faith (such as Christianity, Judaism, Mormonism, Islam, etc.).
Based on that filter, 79% of Americans qualified as a person of faith. In total, 66% of Americans 18 or older identified as Christian, thus constituting more than four out of every five adults (83%) who view themselves as a person of faith.
