Missing the Meaning of Easter

A new study released last week by the Barna Group reveals that a majority of Americans see Easter as a religious holiday, but fewer identify the resurrection of Christ as the underlying meaning.

From February 7-10 of this year, 1,005 adults were interviewed by telephone regarding their opinions relating to Easter and what the holiday means to them. The research discovered that:

• Two out of three Americans (67%) view Easter as a religious holiday.
• Only 42 percent linked Easter to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• Two percent said that Easter was about the "birth of Jesus."
• Three percent described Easter as a celebration of spring or a pagan holiday.
• Eight percent said that Easter means nothing to them or that they do not celebrate the occasion.

The study also revealed that members of the Boomer generation (age 45-63) were more likely to describe Easter as a religious holiday than other age groups — 73 percent compared to 58 percent of Mosaics (age 18-25) and 66 percent of Busters (age 26-44). Interestingly, only 66 percent of Elders (age 64 and over) described Easter as a religious holiday.