Da Vinci Code Confirms Rather Than Changes People’s Religious Views

May 15, 2006

(Ventura, CA) – Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code ,
has sold more copies than any other fictional work in U.S. history.
With the release of the movie adaptation on May 19, interest in this
controversial tale has risen substantially.

A new nationwide survey by The Barna Group says that the book
has impacted millions of lives – but perhaps not in the way that many
Christians have imagined.

Broad Reach

According to the Barna research, The Da Vinci Code  has
been read “cover to cover” by roughly 45 million adults in the U.S. –
that’s one out of every five adults (20%). That makes it the most
widely read book with a spiritual theme, other than the Bible, to have
penetrated American homes.

The audience profile of the book is intriguing. Despite
critical comments and warnings from the Catholic hierarchy, American
Catholics are more likely than Protestants to have read it (24% versus
15%, respectively). Among Protestants, those associated with a mainline
church are almost three times more likely than those associated with
non-mainline Protestant congregations to have read the book. Upscale
individuals – i.e., those with a college degree and whose household
income exceeds $60,000 – are nearly four times more likely to have read
the book than are “downscale” people (i.e., those without a college
degree and whose household income is $30,000 or less).

Perceived Value of the Content

Among the adults who have read the entire book, one out of every
four (24%) said the book was either “extremely,” “very,” or “somewhat”
helpful in relation to their “personal spiritual growth or
understanding.” That translates to about 11 million adults who consider
The Da Vinci Code  to have been a helpful spiritual document.

To place that figure in context, the Barna study revealed that another recently published popular novel about Jesus Christ – Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt ,
written by Anne Rice – was deemed to be spiritually helpful by 72% of
its readers – three times the proportion who lauded Dan Brown’s book.

Changing People’s Beliefs

The study also explored whether or not the book caused people to
change some of their religious beliefs. Among the 45 million who have
read The Da Vinci Code , only 5% - which represents about two
million adults – said that they changed any of the beliefs or religious
perspectives because of the book’s content.

“Before reading The Da Vinci Code  people had a full
complement of beliefs already in place, some firmly held and others
loosely held,” explained George Barna, the author of numerous books
about faith and culture. “Upon reading the book, many people
encountered information that confirmed what they already believed. Many
readers found information that served to connect some of their beliefs
in new ways. But few people changed their pre-existing beliefs because
of what they read in the novel. And even fewer people approached the
book with a truly open mind regarding the controversial matters in
question, and emerged with a new theological perspective. The book
generates controversy and discussions, but it has not revolutionized
the way that Americans think about Jesus, the Church or the Bible.”

“On the other hand,” the researcher continued, “any book that
alters one or more theological views among two million people is not to
be dismissed lightly. That’s more people than will change any of their
beliefs as a result of exposure to the teaching offered at all of the
nation’s Christian churches combined during a typical week.”

The people most likely to have altered their religious views in
response to the book’s content were Hispanics (17% of those who read
the book), women (three times more likely than male readers to do so),
and liberals (twice as likely as conservatives). Upscale adults were
also much more likely than downscale individuals to shift their
thinking based on the novel.

The Movie: A Blockbuster?

Industry observers expect the movie to be a hit. But how big of
a hit is it likely to be? And what degree of influence is the movie
likely to have?

The Barna study indicates that more than 30 million adults are
likely to pay for a ticket to see the film – unless the early buzz
regarding the film is negative. The company estimates that the movie is
poised to break the $300 million box office barrier, based on the
current level and intensity of interest expressed by adults. Reaching
that plateau would place the movie among the top 20 movies of all-time
based upon domestic box office gross revenue.

The statistics reveal that two out of every three people who
are likely to see the movie have already read the book. That means more
than 10 million adults who have not yet read the book are likely to
journey to a theater to see the film.

Barna noted that if the movie has a similar level of influence
on movie-goers as the book has had on adult readers, then about a
half-million adults could be expected to change one or more of their
religious beliefs based upon the movie’s content. The most significant
impact, he noted, could well be on the young people who see the movie,
since their belief systems are still in the process of development and
are more susceptible to new teachings. Barna also mentioned the
potential effect of the DVD on millions more people who do not see the
movie in the theater, but rent or buy it for home viewing after the
theatrical run is completed. “We know that in a home setting, young
people frequently watch movies over and over, memorizing lines and
absorbing ideas that they might not have caught during their first
viewing.” He also stated that some studies have shown that movies have
greater “stickiness” with information than do print materials, possibly
making the movie even more influential than the book in terms of
long-term impact on people’s spiritual development.

The Barna survey also indicates that the audience segments most
likely to attend the movie are people under 35; Catholics; Hispanics;
and political liberals. On the spiritual side, people who are not born
again Christians are almost twice as likely to see the movie as are
people whose beliefs classify them as “born again.”

Research Details

The data in this report are based on interviews with 1003 adults
from across the nation. These telephone surveys were conducted by The
Barna Group, during May 2006, based upon a random sample of people 18
years of age and older living within the 48 continental states. The
maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample
of adults is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. In the
research, the distribution of survey respondents corresponded to the
geographic dispersion of the U.S. population. Multiple callbacks were
used to increase the probability of including a reliable distribution
of qualified individuals.

“Born again Christians” are defined as people who said they
have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important
in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they
die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and
had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as “born again.”

The Barna Group, Ltd. (which includes its research division, The
Barna Research Group) is a privately held, for-profit corporation that
conducts primary research, produces media resources pertaining to
spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of
leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in
Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary
research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs,
attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free
e-mail notification of the release of each new, weekly update on the
latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to
this free service at the Barna website www.barna.org