A new survey found that Christian young adults are more likely to give to charity, believe in volunteering, and help those in need.
AdelFi and Lifeway Research conducted a survey that gave new insights on the behavior of Christian young adults and how faith empowers the youth to be better. The recent survey also found how some Christian young adults are influenced by their faith when it comes to making financial decisions.
According to the AdelFi study conducted by Lifeway Research, "having a Christian worldview impacts the way young adults aged 25 to 40 manage their money. It is most evident in the fact that Christian young adults give nearly three times as much money to charity as non-Christians. Researchers also found that Christian young adults were twice as likely as their non-Christian counterparts to say that faith influences their financial decisions. Specifically, Christian young adults said they recognized the "responsibility of good financial stewardship."
"AdelFi was interested in understanding what differences exist in how younger Christians handle their money compared to non-Christians," Lifeway Research executive director Scott McConnell said. "Christians are much more active in donating their finances and no less active in trying to do good with their spending."
This is definitely true based on the results of the survey. According to Faithwire, the survey found that a typical Christian young adult would give around $1,820 compared to the average $556 for a non-Christian. While some may think it is because of tithing and donating to church efforts, McConnell said that the charitable acts go beyond this dynamic. To get into the specifics, Christian young adults are more likely to give to a local church (37%) and religious organization (28%), versus non-Christians who give to local churches (8%) and religious organizations (11%).
Moreover, Lifeway Research also found that almost one-fourth or 74% of Christian young adults highlighted the importance of volunteering their time to people and causes, versus only 68% of non-Christians. The survey also found that Christian young adults are also more likely to help those in need.
Research showed that faith empowers the youth to be better because Christian young adults gave twice as much than what their non-Christian counterparts offered to individuals or families who struggled in the past year. Christian young adults gave an average of $603 compared to the $261 given by non-Christian young adults. These statistics are unsurprising given Jesus Christ's command to "love God" and "love others" but are also noteworthy especially during a time that secularism is becoming more popular.
Another insight gleaned from the survey is that Christian young adults are likely to recognize the importance of being "good stewards of their finances," with 69% saying so. Up to 85% said they make financial decisions based on where they would like to see themselves in a few years, compared to 78% of non-Christians.
The survey was conducted from January 18 to 22 on 905 Americans. The results come after several reports revealed that there is an increase in the secularization of American culture and a decrease in faith among millennials and members of Generation Z.
