somersault

George Barna, author of the new trends book Futurecast, assesses how America’s faith has shifted in the past 20 years on 14 religious variables. In a series of briefs, Barna explores not only the aggregate national patterns, but also digs into how matters have changed according to gender, ethnicity, region, generation, and religious segments:

↓ Weekly Bible reading has declined by 5 percentage points. Currently an estimated 40% of adults read the Bible during a typical week.

↓ Church volunteerism has dropped by 8 percentage points since 1991. Slightly less than one out of every 5 adults (19%) donates some of their time in a typical week to serving at a church.

↓ Adult Sunday school attendance has diminished by 8 percentage points. On any given Sunday, about 15% of adults can be expected to show up in a Sunday school class.

↓ Church attendance has receded by 9 percentage points, dropping from 49% in 1991 to 40% in 2011.

↑ The percentage of adults categorized as unchurched has increased (defined as all adults who have not attended any religious events at a church, other than special ceremonies such as a wedding or funeral, during the prior 6 month period). In 1991, just 24% of adults were unchurched. That figure has ballooned by more than 50%, to 37% today.

↑ The percentage of adults who can be classified as born again Christians, based on their belief that they will experience eternal salvation based on their commitment to Jesus Christ, personal confession of sins, and acceptance of Christ as their savior, has risen by 5 percentage points. Currently, 40% of adults can be classified as born again.

↓ When asked to choose one of several descriptions of God, the proportion who believe that God is “the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect Creator of the universe who still rules the world today” currently stands at two-thirds of the public (67%). That represents a 7 point drop from the 1991 level.

↓ In 1991, 46% of adults strongly affirmed that “the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches.” That has slumped to just 38% today.

Among the religious beliefs that have remained relatively constant over the past 20 years were the percentage of adults who describe themselves as Christian (84%); those who say their religious faith is very important in their life today (56%); those who have made a “personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in my life today” (65%); the proportion who agree that Satan is not a living entity but merely a symbol of evil (56%); those who strongly believe that they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs with others who believe differently (25%).

Read Part 1 (general trends) in full.

Read Part 2 (generational trends) in full.

According to The Christian Post (@ChristianPost), a report to be released August 1 by a globalized think tank predicts that although the world of tomorrow will be richer, healthier and better educated, it will also be a more violent and corrupt unless action is taken to curb terror-related crime.

The Millennium Project’s (@MillenniumProj) 2011 State of the Future (pdf) reports the world's future will include improved access to water, food, health care and schooling. The report projects the number of physicians per 1,000 people will grow to over 20% by 2020. Infant mortality is also projected to drop from over 40% last year to under 30% in the next decade. Both malnutrition and problems accessing water is expected to shrink to less than 15%.

Global school enrollment will rise to 70% in the next decade and the number of women in government is expected to exceed 300% from under 20% in the previous decade, the report predicts.

Read this in full.

Join Somersault (@smrsault) in keeping an eye on the future by reading the Somersault Futurist Daily News and using the SomersaultNOW dashboard of more than 300 articles and RSS fees designed for publishers and marketers; especially note the Future tab. And tell your colleagues. Thanks!

Digital Signage: It's all around us [Infographic] compliments of DigitalSignageToday.com (@DigSignageToday)

A story in eWeek (@eWEEKNews) says tablet shipments will outpace those of e-readers by 2012, according to a new report by research firm In-Stat (@instat).

E-readers still offer the truest reading experience and appeal most to avid readers, but a broader market of consumers are demanding multimedia functionality, like Web browsing, video, and gaming, in their next mobile device. Tablets, like the Apple iPad, are optimized to deliver this kind of multifunction experience, and therefore, represent a stronger opportunity for suppliers and manufacturers alike.

“Of the two, the tablet market is the stronger and more sustainable opportunity,” Stephanie Ethier, an In-Stat senior analyst, wrote in a June 20 research note. “In fact, e-reader manufacturers will soon begin adding tablet-like devices to their lineups in order to take advantage of the tablet frenzy. Barnes & Noble already offers the Color Nook, which is often compared with a tablet, and Amazon, the leader in the e-reader space with its Kindle, will likely launch a tablet device later this year in an effort to compete head-to-head with the iPad.”

According to the research

• 38% of respondents own a tablet, compared to 26% who own an e-reader.
• Fueled by low prices and continued expansion of ebook content, global e-reader shipments will reach 40 million by 2015.
• Tablet shipments will outpace e-reader shipments.
• Over 60% of future tablet purchasers plan to buy a tablet equipped with both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity
• By 2015, 15% of all tablet shipments will go into business markets.

Read the complete eWeek article. Read the news release in full.

You’ll also want to read “Tablet Computing Is Here To Stay, And Will Force Changes In Laptops And Phones” at Fast Company‘s (@fastcompany) Co.Design (@fastcodesign).

Content delivery systems are changing. Are your publishing plans ready for it? Talk to Somersault (@smrsault).

A new report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project (@pewinternet) concludes that 12% of US adults own an ebook reader as of May 2011, up from 6% in November 2010.

Hispanic adults, adults younger than age 65, college graduates and those living in households with incomes of at least $75,000 are most likely to own ebook readers. Parents are also more likely than non-parents to own these devices.

Tablet computers have not seen the same level of growth among US adults in recent months. As of May 2011, 8% of adults report owning a tablet computer such as an iPad, Samsung Galaxy, or Motorola Xoom. This represents just a 3 percentage-point increase in ownership since November 2010. Overall, the highest rates of tablet ownership are among Hispanic adults and those with household incomes of at least $75,000 annually.

Read the report in full.

Also see MediaPost's (@MediaPost) "Tablet, E-reader Owners Also Print Junkies." It says

tablet owners are 66% more likely than the average US adult to be big print magazine consumers and 54% more likely to be heavy print newspaper readers. Similarly, e-reader owners are 23% more likely to be print magazine enthusiasts and 63% more likely to get newsprint on their hands.

One popular e-reader is Barnes & Noble’s (@BNBuzz) new touchscreen Nook (@nookBN). You’ll want to read Rick Mansfield’s (@thislamp) detailed review of it (he likes it).

Hitwise (@Hitwise_UK & @Hitwise_US) believes in the benefits of social media and that Facebook in particular is becoming critical to the success of multi-channel marketing. Leveraging its unique data sets, it’s determined that every new fan retailers acquire on Facebook is worth 20 additional visits to its website over the course of a year. Fans are clearly worth the social media effort.

Read the report in full.

According to Business Insider War Room (@tbi_warroom) Facebook fans and Twitter followers have an avalanche effect. “As hard as it is to get that first handful of followers, thanks to news feeds and retweets, your social media fans can grow exponentially. Plus, users are far more likely to ‘Like’ a page that thousands of other people have already ‘liked.’” It offers tips on how to “get millions of business followers”:

• Use targeted advertising on Facebook
• Pay for fans
• Incentivize clicking “Like” or following on Twitter
• Piggyback off hot-button issues
• Notice trending hashtags
• Target popular tweeters
• Create good content
• Update frequently
• Engage customers’ conversations
• Respond to complaints

Read these in full.

According to an analysis by Ben Elowitz (@elowitz), of Digital Quarters blog, Facebook, online video, and mobile consumption are causing the rest of the Web to shrink. He says in the future brands will need to spend less time on SEO and more time optimizing for Facebook.

Read the analysis in full.

As for Somersault (@smrsault), please Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Then tell your friends to as well. Thanks!

Seven-in-ten evangelical leaders who live in the Global South (71%) expect that 5 years from now the state of evangelicalism in their countries will be better than it is today. But a majority of evangelical leaders in the Global North expect that the state of evangelicalism in their countries will either stay about the same (21%) or worsen (33%) over the next 5 years.

The survey was taken of evangelical leaders from 166 countries and territories who were invited to attend the Third Lausanne Congress of World Evangelization (@capetown2010), a 10-day gathering of ministers and lay leaders held in October 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Overall, evangelical leaders around the world view secularism, consumerism and popular culture as the greatest threats they face today. More of the leaders express concern about these aspects of modern life than express concern about other religions, internal disagree-ments among evangelicals or government restrictions on religion.

Read the report in full.

What content should you be creating to meet the needs of this evangelical market?

Shelf Awareness (@ShelfAwareness) reports “a solid majority of adults in the US believe in the importance of multicultural picture books for children, but many find it difficult to obtain them.” According to a recent survey commissioned by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, 78% say they believe it’s important for children to be exposed to picture books that feature main characters of various ethnicities or races, while 33% report it’s difficult to find such books.

The survey also shows 73% of parents and 49% of adults have purchased a children's picture book with a protagonist of a different race or ethnicity from the child who will be reading the book, while only 10% consider it important to match the race or ethnicity of the main character of a picture book to the race or ethnicity of the child who will be receiving the book.

The factors adults consider when selecting a children's picture book are:

• Interesting stories (62%)
• Important lessons (61%)
• Eye-catching pictures (41%)

Read the survey news release.

Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you discern strategic publishing research that’s important to you. And use the SomersaultNOW dashboard every day; especially the Research tab. Also subscribe to the free Somersault Research Daily News.

Adweek (@Adweek) says, “Call them the FB generation.” They consider technology a sixth sense.

McCann Worldgroup’s (@mccann_wg) newly completed global survey “The Truth About Youth,” which polled 16-to-30-year-olds, concludes that millennials live in a new “social economy” in which the power of sharing and recommending brands cannot be overstated. (Past generations defined themselves by material possessions or experiences.)

This group, according to the study, lives outloud, emphasizing public self-definition, life narration, and broadcasting via blogging platforms, digital cameras, and cheap editing and design software.

In the words of one study respondent: “If there are no pics, it didn’t happen.”

The agency’s takeaway: Brands should follow the top 5 traits young people say they look for in their social friends. Advertising should be truthful, genuine, sociable, mature, and humble to connect.

The biggest mistake marketers make? Overestimating their own importance. Young consumers say they quickly tire of brands that clutter up digital feeds with what they see as useless information.

Read the report in full.

Also see ClickZ’s (@ClickZ) coverage by Anna Maria Virzi (@AnnaMariaVirzi), “Study: Millennials Value ‘Social Economy.’”

Another study of millennials, this one by Public Religion Research Institute (@publicreligion) and reported by RNS (@ReligionNewsNow), says a significant majority of that age group believe it’s permissible to disagree with their church teachings on abortion and homosexuality and still remain in good standing with their faith. They’re “committed to availability, conflicted about morality.”

Read the report in full.

Let Somersault help you research your market.

Warc (@WarcEditors) reports on a new study by Google and Ipsos OTX MediaCT that says smartphone use is increasingly influencing US consumers’ media use and shopping habits.

• 93% of smartphone owners use the devices at home.
• 87% use it “on the go” (77% in stores, 73% in restaurants, 72% at work).
• 59% log on to the mobile Web while waiting in line, 48% do so as they eat, 44% during shopping trips, and 43% while travelling.
• 81% say they’ve browsed the mobile Internet in the last week, 77% used search engines, 68% used apps, and 48% played back video.
• 72% engage in simultaneous media use involving smartphones and other mainstream channels at some point. This includes 33% watching TV at the same time as using the wireless Web, 29% also going online through a PC, 27% for gaming, and 22% for reading print media.
• 82% employ email services on their phone and 63% visit social networks.
• 82% research and read news, 75% exploit navigation tools, 65% enjoy entertainment content, and 45% manage their finances, social life, or travel arrangements.
• 46% of participants use ecommerce sites, 43% view video-sharing portals, 38% visit general consumer websites, and 26% go to official brand platforms.
• 79% use their handsets for commercial purposes. Some 78% locate retailers, compare prices, or search store inventories, and 69% seek out product information, such as by scanning a barcode, watching online video, or reading reviews.
• 52% contact a retailer, 40% source coupons, and 28% redeem virtual discount vouchers.
• Within the 74% of individuals claiming to have previously made purchases because of using a smartphone, 76% bought goods at a brick-and-mortar outlet and 59% did so from a PC. 35% snapped up a product straight from their phone, 27% looked to mobile websites, and 22% turned to apps for the same reason.
• Where people bought goods through a smartphone, the average annual expenditure hit $300, with 48% of relevant consumers buying entertainment items, as electronics and apparel both secured 45%.
• Conducting research on a smartphone and then buying in-store remains the most common path to purchase, with 67%, but 9% of respondents had taken the opposite route.
• Elsewhere, 23% undertook investigations on a wireless device and then a brick-and-mortar store before completing transactions on the Web.
• A further 16% researched and purchased on a phone, with a trip to a store sandwiched in the middle.
• Having been asked to describe mobile advertising formats they could recall, 45% of those polled referenced banners and graphical ads, and 43% mentioned executions on a website they had viewed.
• A 35% share remembered ads embedded in apps, standing at 34% for paid-search listings, 28% for SMS, and 21% for video and location-based alternatives.

See the research report, “The Mobile Movement,” in full (pdf).

Let Somersault help you strategize your mobile publishing future.