August 16, 2004

A new study has revealed substantial differences between the beliefs and practices of various ethnic groups in the United States.

Just as the 2004 presidential race is highlighting how differently the four major ethnic groups in the nation view and respond to life, the Barna Research Group, a Christian research organization based in Ventura, California, has done research that reveals how significantly these groups differ on matters of faith.

Nationwide Barna surveys of more than 2,600 American adults revealed marked differences between the African-American, Asian, Hispanic, and white populations of the U.S. in the areas of their religious beliefs, religious practices, and faith-influenced attitudes. The researchers interviewed randomly selected adults, asking about eight specific religious behaviors and a dozen belief-oriented issues.

Ranking religious activity

The survey showed that whites tended to fall consistently in the middle of the religious behavior scale, scoring neither highest nor lowest on any of the eight behaviors. Blacks, however, tended to score high in several of these areas. Of all the ethnic groups in the survey, blacks were "notably less likely than others to be unchurched." They also ranked highest on the religious activity scale for half of the behaviors studied (reading the Bible, praying to God, giving money to churches, and watching Christian television).

The group that was the least likely to be active in Christian activity was Asians, who scored lowest for all eight activities measured. The study found this group to be the least involved in attending church, attending Sunday school, praying to God, reading the Bible, participating in a small group for religious purposes, or watching Christian television. This group also gave the least amount of money to churches and was the most likely to be unchurched.

While Hispanics were generally below-average on most of the religious behaviors studied, and they ranked particularly low in giving money to churches, they were found to be the most likely of all the groups to share their faith in Jesus with non-Christians.

Religious beliefs compared

In terms of beliefs, once again, black Americans emerged as the ethnic group most likely to have beliefs that line up with Christian or biblical teachings. This population segment is the most likely to have an orthodox view of God and to contend that the Bible is accurate, that Christ lived a holy life, that faith is important to them, that they have a personal responsibility to evangelize, and that divorce -- except in cases of adultery -- is a sin.

Asians turned out to be the least likely to hold tradition Christian beliefs. The survey found this group was the most likely to be atheist, agnostic, or practicing a non-Christian faith; two-thirds of Asians fall into one of these categories. Whites were very similar to Asians on two matters in particular -- rejecting the accuracy of the Bible and possessing an unorthodox or non-biblical understanding of the nature of God.