New research showing that Christian media is widely consumed and trusted by Americans is filled with fascinating data points. The most interesting revelation? Young people are driving strong trends.
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Troy Miller, CEO and president of National Religious Broadcasters, told CBN News that his organization has partnered with Barna Group, a research firm that explores faith to create a “state of Christian media.”
“When we asked about this investigation, we asked them to answer how they used Christian media outside of the church,” Miller said. “So it was key to us… not contaminating this by the activities of their church.”
He said the two factors that most resonated with him were part of Christian media usage statistics, including the fact that 60% of Americans use Christian media in some way.
“I thought it was… a lot of stuff, but 60% of Americans… it’s great and really exciting,” Miller said.
Miller said there are biblically based media and outlet lessons, as the majority of Americans consume Christian media in the form of “television, radio, podcasts, news websites, social media, or YouTube.”
“I think the Christian media, a big lesson from Christian outlets, is that people are paying attention,” he said. “They really pay attention to what’s going on. They’re looking for something.”
Miller continued. “And… when you look at people and ask, ‘Why do they look at Christian media?’, ‘People said, ‘I’m looking for encouragement and hope.’
He said this quest for positivity appears to be a “rejection of the message of mainstream culture.” And Miller said this is noteworthy as so many negative messages permeate society.
One of the most notable findings is the reality that young people are driving the consumption of Christian media.
“Christian media users tend to be younger than non-users,” reads the press release. “Social media is the dominant force in this landscape and commands the widest range of Christian media platforms. Gen Z, 64% are involved in Christian social media accounts, followed by 58% of millennials.”
Miller said these statistics defies the narrative that Christian media is primarily prepared for older generations, and points out that these young consumers are primarily diving into digital media.
“Two of the youngest consumers in Christian media are two of the youngest demographics in America,” he said, citing ZZ and millennials. “That’s amazing, and again, I think it really shows that the group is looking for something.”
Beyond these statistics, Miller said 66% of Americans feel that Christian media is valuable and reliable. For more information about the results, please see here.
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