A new report by the Evangelical Alliance (EA) has found that 76 per cent of British evangelicals believe that if Jesus was living in the UK today, he would befriend politicians of all parties, and 75 per cent said he would protest against corruption and injustice.
Thinking faithfully about politics, which the organisation published on Thursday, highlights what matters most to Christians at the polling booths and how they engage in politics.
Out of 1,380 evangelicals surveyed, the vast majority said they have and would vote, with 93 per cent stating that if there was a general election tomorrow they would make the effort again.
This compares with the turnout of the general population which ranges between 65 per cent and 69 per cent within the last few years.
Most respondents said what matters most to them was how political figures talked about helping those in need, with 58 per cent saying it was the one of the main drivers in who they voted for. A candidate who most closely aligned with Christian or biblical values came in second at 54 per cent.
Topics relating to the economy, poverty and inequality ranked high in the top ten most important issues facing the UK today for respondents. Christian values came in fifth.
Although a quarter are currently undecided about who they would vote for, on the question of who would make the best prime minister, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer had a 15 per cent lead against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Meanwhile, 87 per cent of respondents said that a commitment to protect free speech
in the workplace would make them more likely to vote for a party.
The report also highlighted issues of trust. While evangelicals are divided on whether the political system in the UK works well, only 12 per cent said they trust politicians and 64 per cent feel current political parties discourage them to take part in politics.
Most (93 per cent) of the respondents believe the country needs to see more Christians willing to get involved in party politics and stand for election.
The study showed that evangelicals surveyed are involved with political parties and believe evangelicals’ engagement with politics goes beyond voting in elections. In the last 12 months, 72 per cent have created or signed a petition and more than half have contacted an elected representative.
EA has encouraged Christians to pray for politicians, learn about key policy issues, and hold hustings to hear from candidates.
