Still Christian(?)

Key Points

• Cardus, in collaboration with the Angus Reid Institute, conducted a survey in February 2024 to find out what Canadians who identify as Evangelical, Catholic, and mainline Protestant believe.

• “Religiously Committed” Christians do not necessarily adhere to core Christian beliefs or teachings.

• Younger Christians appear to be more intentional or committed to the teachings and practices of the faith than Christians of their parents’ or grandparents’ generations.

• Regardless of which branch of the faith Christians identify with, there is some degree of incoherence between what Christians personally believe and what their church teaches.

• When asked whether “There is one true God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” 89 percent of Evangelicals agreed, 51 percent of Catholics agreed, and 57 percent of mainline Protestants agreed.

• When asked whether all religions are equally true, 20 percent of Evangelicals agreed, compared to 54 percent of Catholics and 57 percent of mainline Protestants.

• Belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ as an historical event is held by 81 percent of Evangelicals, 48 percent of Catholics, and 55 percent of mainline Protestants.

• Sixty-five percent of Evangelicals disagreed that “Christian moral teachings should evolve with changes in society’s attitudes,” whereas 72 percent of Catholics and 61 percent of mainline Protestants agreed.

• Sixty percent of Evangelicals disagreed that “government, and not the church, is responsible for taking care of the poor, the homeless, and the refugees,” while 67 percent of Catholics and 54 percent of mainline Protestants agreed.