Ground-breaking new research to be released on the state of faith and perceptions of Jesus in the UK

In the next two weeks, Alpha, the Evangelical Alliance, HOPE Together, Luis Palau Association and Kingsgate Community Church are sharing the Talking Jesus report. This new wave of ground-breaking research answers what people think of Jesus; how non-Christians view any practising Christian friends they might have; and the evangelism landscape in the UK today.

Fresh from the report, here are just a few of the key findings being released:

  • 45 per cent of the UK population believe in the resurrection.
  • One in three non-Christians, after a conversation with a Christian, want to know more about Jesus Christ.
  • 20 per cent of the UK population believe that Jesus is God.

On Thursday, 28 April, at a denominational leaders’ summit, key leaders were invited to hear and discuss the research before it was shared in two free webinars. The webinar is available to watch on YouTube here.

The research will give church leaders an insight into how Christians, the church and Jesus are perceived by those outside our churches. There is a substantial part of the research that also shows how practising Christians come to faith and will help church leaders to be strategic for growth.

The research was completed by Savanta ComRes in February 2022 using a representative sample of the population of the UK, weighted so that the data can be used confidently as a picture of the whole UK population. This research was first conducted in 2015 showing trends and changes over the past seven years.

Dr Rachel Jordan-Wolf, executive director at HOPE Together says, “This research, that was first done in 2015, enables us to look over seven years and see trends that will help us strategically with church growth. It has significant things to say about the church’s investment in the younger generations, gives us real hope for the future of the church and encouragement that now is the moment for evangelism and mission. It reaffirms that, post-pandemic, there has never been a better time, or more need, for us as Christians to invest in making Jesus known.”

Rachael Heffer, head of mission at the Evangelical Alliance, says, “It presents good news both for the church across the UK and for us as individual Christian witnesses. It goes to reaffirm that our non-Christian friends think well of us and like us, that there is an ever-greater openness to hear our stories of faith.”

All the partner organisations involved are working with the research to shape their strategies over the coming months to empower local churches in effective evangelism.

To find out more, and read the report, which will be available soon, go to: talkingjesus.org

Watch the launch event on YouTube here.

  • Rachael Heffer Head of Mission Evangelical Alliance; and
  • Dr Rachel Jordan-Wolf Executive Director HOPE Together

are available for interview upon request. For more information, interview or image requests please contact Helen Locke ([email protected] 07920117595) or Alex Richards ([email protected] 01788 542782)

Notes to editors

The above partner organisations are committed to working together to share this research.

About the Evangelical Alliance

We are the Evangelical Alliance. We join together hundreds of organisations, thousands of churches and tens of thousands of individuals for the sake of the gospel. Representing our members since 1846, the Evangelical Alliance is the oldest and largest evangelical unity movement in the UK.

We love Jesus and we want everyone in the UK to be given an opportunity to know Him.

We love His church, and we will do all we can to unite evangelicals, building confidence in the gospel and speaking as a trusted voice into society to see it changed for Him.

Working across the UK, with offices in London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast, our members come together from across denominations, locations, age groups and ethnicities, all sharing a passion to know Jesus and make Him known.