Nine out of 10 Americans say the thing they want most out of life is good health. That is the top-rated goal in a new survey by the Barna Research Group. Good health was also the top desired outcome in a similar survey conducted a decade earlier.
A life of integrity is a desire for four out of five adults, and having one marriage partner for life is the hope of 79 percent of those questioned. For three-quarters of the adult population, having close, personal relationships and a clear purpose for living are top priorities.
Top priority
Slightly fewer Americans — seven out of 10 — said having a close personal relationship with God is a top priority in their lives. Having a comfortable life, living close to family and having a good sex life with a spouse are priorties for about six out of 10 married adults, while about half list having children, being deeply committed to the Christian faith, being knowledgeable about current events and making a difference in the world.
Fewer than half of those surveyed named the remaining eight options, including being active in a church, having a college degree, influencing other people’s lives, working in a high-paying job, traveling throughout the world for pleasure and owning a large home. Bottom-ranked goals include owning the latest gadgets and being famous.
These priorities haven’t changed much from the last decade. A similar survey taken in February 1991 found almost identical results. Changes worth noting are: those who highly value living close to relatives have fallen from 67 percent to 60 percent; interest in being part of a local church has dropped from 50 to 42 percent; interest in a high-paying job is down from 36 to 29 percent.
Findings for born-again Christians were not significantly different from those for the general population in most categories. Christians showed notably higher interest in being part of a church than did non-Christians (71 percent vs. 22 percent), and also showed higher interest in a close, personal relationship with God (93 percent vs. 55 percent).
Being deeply committed to the Christian faith was important to 83 percent of Christians. This compares to 32 percent of others.
Born-again adults were also more likely to list influencing other people (48 percent vs. 30 percent), making a difference in the world (58 percent vs. 39 percent) and having a clear purpose for living (85 percent vs. 68 percent) as top goals.
George Barna, president of the firm that conducted the surveys, said the changes found in the poll are at odds with the expectations of some people.
“The prevailing wisdom is that interest in religion has increased … and that born-again Christians are outer-directed. In light of those views, the survey data provide some surprising findings,” Barna said.
“For instance, if spiritual revival were occurring, you’d expect to see increasing levels of interest in a relationship with God, in church involvement and in commitment to the Christian faith. None of those are evident,” he continued.
Survey data are drawn from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 1,002 adults, and have a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. (EP)
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