A new study showing that Christian media is widely consumed and trusted by Americans is filled with fascinating data points. The most intriguing revelation? Young people are driving the powerful trend.
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Troy Miller, CEO and president of National Religious Broadcasters, told CBN News his organization partnered with the Barna Group, a research firm that explores faith, for the creation of “The State of Christian Media.”
“When we asked this survey, we asked them to answer how they use Christian media outside of their church,” Miller said. “So that was key for us to not … taint this by their church activity.”
He said the two factors that most resonated with him were some of the Christian media usage stats, including the fact 60% of Americans use Christian media in some form.
“I expected it to … have a big number, but 60% of Americans … that was great and it’s really exciting,” Miller said.
With the majority of Americans consuming Christian media in the form of “television, radio, podcasts, news websites, social media, or YouTube,” Miller said there’s a lesson for Bible-based press and outlets.
“I think the big lesson for Christian outlets — Christian media — is that people are paying attention,” he said. “They’re really paying attention to what’s going on, and they’re looking for something.”
Miller continued, “And … when you look at people and ask them, ‘Why are they looking at Christian media?’ … ‘People said, ‘I’m looking for encouragement and for hope.'”
He said this search for positivity appears to be a “rejection of the mainstream culture’s message.” And with so many negative messages permeating society, Miller said this is noteworthy.
One of the most noteworthy findings is the reality that young people are driving Christian media consumption.
“Compared to non-users, Christian media users tend to be younger,” a press release reads. “Social media is a dominant force in this landscape, commanding the broadest reach among Christian media platforms. Gen Z leads the way, with 64% engaging with Christian social media accounts, followed by Millennials at 58%.”
Miller said these statistics buck the narrative that Christian media is primed for a primarily older generation, noting these younger consumers are primarily diving into digital media.
“Two of the youngest consumers of Christian media are two of the youngest demographics in America,” he said, citing Gen Z and Millennials. “That’s amazing, and, again, I think it really shows that that group is looking for something.”
Beyond these statistics, Miller said 66% of Americans found Christian media to be both valuable and trustworthy. Read more about the results here.
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