The State of Play: Current demographic, market and social analysis of Church attendance in Australia

This paper draws upon current market and social research as well as the 2011 Australian Census to examine trends in Australian church attendance. It finds that all churches are in plateau or decline unless connected to first generation migration. It also finds that there is a marked trend among Australians under the age of 35 away from any religious practice or acknowledgement. Social and market research from Hugh Mackay, Mark McCrindle and Roy Morgan gives qualitative reasons for this movement. The paper then uses Alan Roxburgh and Phyllis Tickle’s analysis of unraveling and recalibrating as metaphors to translate what is going on inside the data. The paper ends with hope, noting that the first step to recovery is acknowledgement of present condition.