CPR
Spring 2000 |
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Page A-4 |
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What Do You Want Out Of Life?
Good Health, Integrity, Lasting Marriage |
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VENTURA, Calif. (EP) — Nine out of 10 Americans say the thing they want most out of life is good health. That is the top rated goal in a new survey by the Barna Research Group. Good health was also the top desired outcome in a similar survey conducted a decade earlier. Living a life of integrity is a desire for four out of five adults, and having one marriage partner for life is the hope of 79 percent of those questioned. For three-quarters of the adult population, having close, personal relationships is a top priority, as is having a clear purpose for living. Slightly fewer Americans — seven out of 10 — said having a close personal relationship with God is a top priority in their lives. Having a comfortable life, living close to family, and having a good sex life with a spouse are priorties for about six out of 10 married adults, while about half list having children, being deeply committed to the Christian faith, being knowledgeable about current events and making a difference in the world. Fewer than half of those surveyed named the remaining eight options in the poll, including being active in a church, having a college degree, influencing other people’s lives, working in a high-paying job, traveling throughout the world for pleasure, and owning a large home. Bottom-ranked goals include owning the latest gadgets and being famous. These priorities haven’t changed much over the last decade. A similar survey taken in February 1991 found almost identical results. There have been some changes worth noting: those who highly value living close to relatives have fallen from 67 percent to 60 percent; interest in being part of a local church has dropped from 50 to 42 percent; interest in a high-paying job is down from 36 to 29 percent. Being deeply committed to the Christian faith was important to 83 percent of Christians, compared to 32 percent of others. Born-again adults were also more likely to list influencing other people (48 percent versus 30 percent), making a difference in the world (58 percent versus 39 percent) and having a clear purpose for living (85 percent versus 68 percent) as top goals. George Barna, president of the firm that conducted the surveys, stated that "if spiritual revival were occurring, you’d expect to see increasing levels of interest in a relationship with God, in church involvement and in commitment to the Christian faith. None of those are evident." Survey data are drawn from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 1002 adults, and have a margin of error if plus or minus three percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.
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