Press release: 4 November 2024: A new survey has confirmed what FaithInvest already knew – that the vast majority of Christians who consider their faith important want their investments to reflect their values.
The survey, commissioned by US-based investment adviser, Eventide Asset Management, found that 88% of Christians – nearly nine in 10 – would be interested in investing in a fund that is 'highly ethical and seeks to do good', while 23% believe they currently invest in these types of funds.
Robin John, Founding Member and CEO of Eventide, said the survey of nearly 1,500 US adults highlights that 'Christian investors desire to make a generative impact with their finances, and we see a tremendous opportunity to educate and engage them in this mission'.
Message for faith leaders
The survey focused on individual Christian investors, but it has a clear message for the leaders of faith-based organisations, says Dave Zellner, Executive Chair of FaithInvest, an international, not-for-profit organisation that supports faith groups to invest in line with their values for people and planet.
'This survey by Eventide confirms what we know to be true: that people of faith want to see their values reflected in finances, as in other aspects of their lives – and they also want to see the values they hear preached in the pulpit reflected in how faith organisations manage their own financial assets,' he said.
'Although this survey focused only on Christians, our experience at FaithInvest is that all people of faith share the desire to live their values in all aspects of their lives, including their finances.'
Nearly half don't mention faith
'Yet while all major faiths have statements about their beliefs, teachings and values in terms of social principles, environmental beliefs and other areas of focus and activity, we find that many faith organisations have yet to articulate and integrate these values in their investment practices,' he added.
'In our own Good Intentions survey of the investment policies and guidelines of 90 faith groups, published last year, 45% did not even mention that their faith had a role in their investment policy.
'We urge all faith-based organisations to step up their efforts to ensure they are investing in a way that is consistent with their faith values. It is clearly something that members of their congregations want to see.'
We can help
FaithInvest understands that embarking on the faith-consistent investing (FCI) journey can seem daunting at first, particularly for groups that lack experience or capacity in this area. That's why we've developed a host of free resources and guides on FCI, and run a popular FCI Interest Group forum which meets quarterly online to discuss issues related to FCI.
We also developed our Faithful Finance training course to provide faith organisations with practical tools on integrating values into their investment strategy. Comments from previous course participants include:
'The whole area is not as daunting as I had imagined it to be, hence my shift in confidence'
'The confidence it has given me to feel more able to get involved in discussions with our investment advisors'
Notes for editor
FaithInvest is an international, not-for-profit network for faith organisations founded to support all faiths to invest in line with their values to create a better world. We do not provide investment advice or make investment decisions for faith groups.
Faith groups own billions of dollars worth of assets and investments. They have been described as 'the third-largest economic power on Earth'.
More information: www.faithinvest.org
How the Eventide survey was conducted
Interviews for Eventide's survey were conducted from a sample of 1,479 U.S. adults, ages 30 and older, with a Christian faith that is somewhat–to–very important in their lives and with a minimum household income of $75,000 or $100K in investable assets.
The survey also found that younger generations generally place a greater emphasis on aligning their investments with their values, with respondents aged 30-39 reporting an increased likelihood of investing in a values-based fund or switching financial advisors to access these types of funds.
For complete survey results, see this link.