Four in five Australians are open to a spiritual conversation

Four in five Australians are open to a spiritual conversation that may involve views other than their own, a new study conducted by McCrindle Research on behalf of Alpha Australia has found. According to the results, younger generations are the most open to having a conversation that may involve views other than their own. 

The study surveyed 1,000 Australian adults. It found that four in 10 Australians were either extremely (20 percent) or very (18 percent) open to exploring different faiths and spiritual views. Younger Australians are more likely to be extremely or very open to these conversations (50 percent Gen Z, 44 percent Gen Y compared with 39 percent Gen X, 25 percent Baby Boomers; 31 percent Builders). One in three of those aged 57 or over said they would not be open to a spiritual conversation about views other than their own.

Melinda Dwight is the National Director of Alpha Australia.

“There is a great deal of uncertainty and fear as we as a country rebuild post COVID,” she said.

“Many Australians have come to the conclusion that there is value in the exploration of who we are spiritually and that individualism and materialism are ultimately deeply dissatisfying.”

The poll also found that men were less likely to be open than women to a spiritual conversation, with one in four saying they were strongly committed to their current views and would not consider exploring other faiths or spiritual views (24 percent of men compared to 17 percent of women).