By: Kourtney Smith
When it comes to religion and spirituality in Australia, particularly Christianity, public discussion is often surface-level.
Many conversations focus on a single statistic: the declining number of Australians identifying as Christian in the census. However new research reveals a more complex picture, one that challenges the common narrative.
The Changing Landscape of Christianity
The latest census data shows a significant shift. Over the past 20 years, the proportion of Australians identifying as Christian has dropped from about two-thirds to less than half. Headlines often frame this as Australia becoming a “post-Christian” nation. But beneath this trend, something else is happening.
“We know this is a very nuanced topic, and there’s a lot more going on,” said Grant Dusting from McCrindle. “So we wanted to dig deeper.”
An Undercurrent of Faith
Their latest report, An Undercurrent of Faith: Australia’s Renewed Relationship with Christianity, explores these deeper trends. It highlights three key findings:
- Despite the decline in Christian affiliation, many Australians are turning to Christianity.
- The people embracing Christianity are not always who you’d expect.
- The decline in Christian identification is driven more by dissatisfaction with its practice than a loss of belief.
More Than 784,000 From ‘No Religion’ to ‘Christianity’
One striking finding is that a significant number of Australians are shifting toward Christianity.
“In the last census, over 784,000 Australians who had previously identified as having no religion changed to Christianity,” Grant said. “That’s nearly one in ten people who had said ‘no religion’ in the past.”
This suggests a growing spiritual curiosity in Australia. According to McCrindle’s research, the number of Australians open to changing their religious views has more than doubled, from 8% in 2011 to 19% in the latest study.
“There’s clearly a search happening,” Grant noted.
Who Is Turning to Christianity?
Traditionally, young adulthood is seen as the time when people explore faith. However, the research uncovered a surprising trend: older Australians are leading the shift toward Christianity.
“A surprising number of people aged 55 and older are embracing Christianity—either for the first time or returning to it after years away,” Grant explained.
In fact, nearly 200,000 Australians aged 55+ changed from ‘no religion’ to Christianity in the last census period.
A Shift in Attitudes
The report also found that many Australians, even those who don’t identify as Christian, still feel positively about Christianity’s values.
“We developed a ‘faith barometer’ to measure this,” Grant said. “At one end, we have people who strongly identify as Christian. At the other, those who are actively opposed. But in the middle, we found that around two-thirds of Australians either believe Christianity makes sense or align with its values, even if they don’t personally practice it.”
The Conversation Continues
This research challenges the common narrative that religion is simply fading from Australian life. Instead, it suggests a more complex and evolving relationship with faith.
The full findings will be available in McCrindle’s report, launching soon. “We’re hosting a free webinar and releasing a report,” Grant shared. You can sign up for their webinar here.
Article supplied with thanks to Sonshine.
Feature image: Photo by Daniel Tseng on Unsplash