Open the PDF to read the discussion paper prepared by Graeme Chatfield, Andrew Sloane and Nicole Starling in March 2024.

Open the PDF to read the report.

An Undercurrent of Faith

The new McCrindle Report shares findings of Australians and their relationship to spirituality and religion. It shows that younger Christian are highly motivated believers, and many Australians are on a quest for meaning.

In fact, in the last Census, almost 800,000 of Australians surveyed, changed their response from ‘no religion’ to Christian. It appears that Australians are looking for hope and purpose, and Christianity is where they’re finding it.

Despite these findings, McCrindle challenges us:

“The research shows Australians’ relationship with Christianity is nuanced.” And that “….Australia’s Christian converts are not primarily coming through overseas migration. Notwithstanding this fact, in a country that is more culturally diverse than ever, Christian leaders who aren’t engaging overseas-born Australians are missing the missional opportunity of the nations arriving, and in significant numbers.” (pg 32)

An undercurrent of faith report focuses on 6 areas of faith in Australian society:

- Undercurrent #1: Despite a decline in Christian affiliation, Australians are still turning to Christianity in large numbers

- Undercurrent #2: Australians are searching for purpose and meaning

- Undercurrent #3: The Australians turning to Christianity may not be who you expect

- Undercurrent #4: Youth are on a quest for meaning

- Undercurrent #5: Movement away from Christianity is primarily driven by dissatisfaction with how it’s practiced

- Undercurrent #6: Regional areas are moving away from Christian identity faster than inner cities

Read the 2025 Report An Undercurrent of Faith - Exploring Australians' renewed relationship with Christianity

Open the link to view an interview where Mark McCrindle discusses Australian trends to bring encouragement to our outreach efforts.