Faith in politics? Exploring the political views of evangelicals today Spring 2015 Part of the 21st Century Evangelicals research series

Faith in politics? –Only 6% think politicians can be trusted to keep their manifesto promises –Half are less likely to believe what a politician says than they were five years ago –Only a quarter think the secular political system is fair to Christians –Almost 6 in 10 believe none of the major parties support Christian values Evangelicals are disillusioned with politics

Engaged in politics –94% are certain or likely to vote in the general election –30% are very interested in politics –A quarter said they are more aware of how they can get involved in political issues than they were five years ago –78% have signed an e-petition last year (compared to 9% of the general population) Faith in politics?

–Evangelicals prioritise candidates who are: Honourable and not corrupt Have clear convictions and stick to them Have a good record as a local MP or councillor –92% think we need to see more Christians willing to get involved in party politics and stand for election –Just 7% said they had been explicitly encouraged by their church to get involved in party politics Looking for honourable public leaders Faith in politics?

Prioritising the common good –In a general election, the highest proportion (39%) prioritise the party most helping others in need –Policies that will affect evangelicals’ vote: 1.Religious liberty 2.Policies likely to make a positive difference to the poorest people in the UK 3.Policies to eliminate human trafficking Faith in politics?

–Poverty/inequality was ranked the most important issue facing the UK today – selected by 32% of evangelicals, compared to just 4% of the national population –Only 6% of evangelicals thought immigration was the UK’s key issue, compared to 21% of the population The UK’s top issue Faith in politics?

–24% are still undecided which way they will vote –39% say they won’t be voting for the same party as they did in 2010 Voting differently Faith in politics?

Faith in politics? How evangelicals plan to vote… Our 2014 survey Our 2010 survey Labour31%22% Conservative28%40% Lib Dem11%29% UKIP12%2% Green6%1% Other12%6%

–A third have been explicitly encouraged by their church to vote, and 30% to support or oppose a particular policy –Only 2% said their church had openly encouraged them to support or oppose a particular candidate –Only 7% had been encouraged by their church to get involved in party politics Politics and the pulpit Faith in politics?

The issues most talked about in UK churches: 1.UK poverty 2.Marriage 3.International religious freedom/persecution 4.International poverty 5.Human trafficking and slavery Politics and the pulpit Faith in politics?

Time to consider… How do you decide who to vote for? Have you ever thought of joining a political party? Do you think churches are good at encouraging Christians to get involved in politics and be public leaders? Are there creative ways your church can encourage people to think through political issues and to engage in politics?

Visit to: - download the report and discussion questions -order paper copies -join the panel to have your say