Farmhouse-Living, Glastonbury-Going, Facebook-Networking, Highland-Dwelling… It’s Jesus 2.0  

 Research reveals public’s opinion on modern day Jesus  

A farmhouse in the Scottish highlands is Jesus’ most likely home should he be house-hunting today. This is what a national poll issued today ahead of next week’s National Christian Resources Exhibition at Sandown Park, Esher, has revealed.

The independent research of more than 1,500 people, on behalf of national Church and home insurance company Congregational & General, also shows that the public believe that Jesus would almost certainly choose a traditional, character property. 

Jesus’ new dwelling

The top five responses to the question ‘In which type of property would Jesus be most likely to live in the UK today?’ showed a perceived opinion that he would adopt a rural lifestyle. With half of the respondents (49.8 per cent) divided over whether his preferred choice would be a farmhouse, cottage, log cabin or barn conversion. Only 6.7 per cent of people said an inner city tower block would be his place of residence.

In response to the question ‘In which part of the UK would Jesus most likely settle today?, Scotland was the runaway favourite (28 per cent). London took second place (25 per cent) followed by the Midlands (7.7 per cent), the Home Counties (6.7 per cent) and the South West (6.7 per cent).

         Reaching his Audience today

In an interesting observation on the British public’s fascination with all things celebrity, the majority believe that a music festival such as Glastonbury (35.3 per cent) would be the best medium for Jesus to reach his audience today, ahead of places of worship.

In fact, a national tour (30.2 per cent) was also deemed better than a place of worship (28.5 per cent), with social networking sites (26 per cent) fourth and a personal TV channel (23.3 per cent) ranked fifth.  

Margaret Slater, Congregational’s Marketing Manager, said: “There is a definite trend that people think Jesus would choose a character property to live in, with four of the top five responses having that traditional, country feel.

“Scotland occupied two of the top five spots for where the public think he would settle in the UK, and the Scottish Highlands was cited as the favourite.  This does seem to suggest that we think he would live a more rural existence, perhaps in a smaller community rather than a city environment. 

“It is interesting that of the 1,500 people polled from across the UK from varied age groups and social demographics, a festival like Glastonbury, or a national tour, were deemed the best way of Jesus reaching his audience. 

“What is probably no surprise is the use of social media, which is so de rigueur among those looking to raise their profile, reach new people, or hook up with like-minded individuals.” 

“What is interesting is that in a time of falling Church attendances and some cynicism regarding the role of the Church today, 28.5 per cent of respondents thought a place of worship would be the best medium for Jesus to reach his audience today.”  

Jesus and Social Networking

Finally, when it comes to his social networking preferences, the British public is in no doubt of the likely favoured application. Facebook (39.7 per cent) was the clear favourite, ahead of MySpace (16.3), Friends Reunited (13), Bebo (3.5) and, ironically, WAYN – Where Are You Now? – (1.3).