New Survey Shows 7 Out of 10 Americans Celebrate Easter as a Religious Holiday

Looking northwest across Broadway and 61st Street at American Bible Society on a cloudy afternoon. ZIP 10022. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

April 17: Full Survey Findings on The State of the Bible to be released

NEW YORK, April 3, 2012—Amid headlines of adults ruining a children’s annual Easter egg hunt in Colorado Springs, Colo., American Bible Society is releasing survey findings that paint a much brighter picture of the holiday.

A recent survey by American Bible Society and Barna Group reveals 69 percent of U.S. adults celebrate Easter as a religious holiday and not just an occasion for egg hunts, stuffed bunnies and candy. The survey also found:

• 31% of Americans age 18 to 27 celebrate Easter as a non-religious holiday
• 14% of Americans do not celebrate Easter
• 78% of Americans age 66 and older celebrate Easter as a religious holiday versus 56% of Americans age 18 to 27

“The survey demonstrates that most Americans remember why Easter is deemed a holiday,” said American Bible Society President Lamar Vest. “At American Bible Society, we’re excited to provide Americans – and parents in particular – with quick and easy access to the Biblical resources they need to celebrate the real reason for Easter, Jesus’ resurrection.”

American Bible Society and Barna Group will release full results from The State of the Bible 2012 survey on Tuesday, April 17. This data was collected as a part of an annual survey designed to gauge how the Bible impacts Americans today. (View The State of the Bible 2011 results here.)

“The results of this survey should be encouraging for Christians,” said David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. “Most Americans still observe Easter as a religious holiday even as candy consumption and egg hunts have often overshadowed its spiritual significance.”

Poll Your Audience:

• How does your family celebrate Easter?
• What traditions, religious or otherwise, have you created?
• Do you attend Easter egg hunts with your children? Have you observed parents behaving badly in this setting?

About American Bible Society:
Headquartered in Manhattan, the 196-year-old American Bible Society exists to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford, so all people may experience its life-changing message. One of the nation’s oldest nonprofit organizations, today’s American Bible Society provides interactive, high- and low-tech resources enabling first-time readers and seasoned theologians alike to engage with the best-selling book of all time. For more information, visit AmericanBible.org.

Survey Methodology:
The State of the Bible 2012 report contains the findings from a nationwide study commissioned by American Bible Society and conducted by Barna Research (a division of the Barna Group). Two research methodologies were used for the study; one included 1,016 telephone interviews with adults in the continental U.S. while the second study consisted of 1,005 online surveys using a nationally representative panel.

The use of two methodologies provided a larger sample size for key questions and ensured even greater representation among all age groups. The telephone interviews were conducted February 24 through March 5, 2012 and included U.S. adults 18 years of age or older. The online surveys were conducted between March 14 and March 21, 2012.

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