Statistics THE FUTURE Five years ago statistics concerning the Internet were generally thought to be far-fetched and even ridiculous. Today those same statistics are very conservative. The result is that forecasted growth can be trusted; and we can feel more confident investing into the online world. We will attempt to provide you with some key statistical information that will assist you in understanding current conditions and future trends. CURRENT STATISTICAL DATA: INTERNET & RELIGION e-mail messages sent worldwide. 1995: 101 billion 2000: 2.6 trillion 2005: 9.2 trillion George Barna a religious statistician has been quoted as saying: "if research projections hold true, online worship will likely attract some 30 to 35 million adults. Listening to religious teaching online would likely draw more than 100 million adults within the decade."* Over 25% of all Internet users have obtained religious or spiritual information online at one point or another. More than 3 million people a day get religious or spiritual material, up from 2 million that we reported last year. For comparisons sake, it is interesting to note that more people have gotten religious or spiritual information online than those who have gambled online, used web auction sites, traded stocks online, placed phone calls on the Internet, done online banking, or used Internet-based dating services. 74% of Religion Surfers attend religious services at least once a week. Polls such as the General Social Survey, Gallup, and the National Election Study show that 26% to 39% of Americans attend religious services every week. 41% of Internet users, many of whom had never considered themselves online spiritual seekers, said they sent or received email prayer requests. 67% of Religion Surfers have accessed information on their own faith. For Religion Surfers, the Internet is a useful supplemental tool that enhances their already-deep commitment to their beliefs and their churches. 81% of Religion Surfers describe their religious faith as very strong compared to 61% of the general public who said in a March 2000 Gallup poll that religion was very important in their life. THE INTERNET AND SPIRITUAL COMMUNITIES Evidence suggests that the Internet helps improve the workings of spiritual communities. In contrast to the 27% of individuals who claim their spiritual lives have been improved through the workings of cyberspace, 83% of congregations who participated in our study last year reported that their websites and use of email had helped the spiritual life of the congregation either some or a lot. By creating better ties within a pre-existing community, by creating a web presence, and by facilitating discussions that can be difficult to hold in other settings, congregations tightened bonds within their groups, re-established connections with former members, and in some cases, expanded their missions on a global scale. These are communal benefits. websites may not create new communities, but communities can create vibrant web presences that redound to the benefit of their members. Although we found that there are some spiritual things that Religion Surfers prefer to do online, we found little to support the theory that the Internet will take the faithful out of their churches and temples. While it may provide significant benefits to those who pray and do faith-related studies, use of the Internet does not appear to be as strong in forming new religious communities. Meanwhile, the Internet brings a variety of benefits to different Religion Surfers. To those already highly engaged in their faiths and with a predilection for surfing, the Internet provides material that reinforces faith and surfing habits alike. To those highly engaged in their faith communities it brings new possibilities for members to work together. And reinforce bonds that make the community strong. To those who remain outside of religious communities but want to pursue their spiritual needs, it provides resources for private practice and, to those who desire it, a safe place to explore re-entering a community of faith. THE POWER OF PRAYER One primary area of religious practice that might be affected by web resources is prayer. 85% of Religion Surfers said that private prayer and meditation were very important to their spiritual life. Almost half of Religion Surfers said they found prayer resources more readily available online than offline. CHURCH WEBSITES One out of every three Protestant churches has a website; a total of about 110,000 Protestant congregations that have a digital presence. Expansion will proceed at a moderately brisk pace: among the two-thirds of churches that do not presently have a website, 19% say they definitely will have one within the next 12 months, representing another 40,000 or so congregations that are preparing to go online in the coming year.* PASTORS AND THE CYBERCHURCH • While few clergy consider themselves to be computer experts or cutting edge technologically, • More than nine out of ten Senior pastor's use a computer at home or at the church. • Four-fifths of all Protestant Senior pastor's have access to the Internet, while about • Half pastor's gain entry to the Internet daily. * *Copyright © 1995-2002 Barna Research Ltd. All rights reserved. All other statistical data noted in this document is property of Pew Internet & American Life Project