A recent survey reveals that evangelical Christians under the age of 35 are less likely than older evangelicals to believe that Jews are God’s “chosen people” and are also more inclined to support “Replacement Theology.”
Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter recently published a report titled “Crossroads of Belief: Evangelicals and the Jewish People,” which explored how evangelical Christians view the Jewish community.
The report based its findings on an online study conducted earlier this year, with data collected from a sample of 1,008 evangelical Protestants.
According to the survey, 49% of all respondents said they believe Jews are God’s chosen people, but only 29% of respondents under 35 shared this view.
In contrast, 50% of those aged between 35-44, 51% of those aged 45-54, 55% of those aged 55-64, and 56% of those 65 and older affirmed that Jews are God’s chosen people.
Among younger evangelicals, 26% supported Replacement Theology—the belief that Christians have replaced Jews as God’s chosen people after Jesus’ birth. Another 26% indicated they do not know, and 16% believe that Jews were never God’s chosen people.
55% of overall respondents see “Israel’s role in prophecy” as essential, while only 45% of evangelicals under 35 consider it an important issue. Meanwhile, 65% of the oldest Evangelicals viewed it as significant.
Researchers assessed how evangelical Christians view seven specific subjects: “Israel’s role in prophecy,” “What the Bible teaches about Israel,” “Jewish roots of Christianity,” “US/Israel political relations,” “Antisemitism or anti-Jewish bias,” “How Israel is covered in US media,” and “How US Christians are viewed by Israelis.”
While 44% of all respondents rated all seven issues as important, the percentage drops to 31% for evangelicals under 35. Conversely, 62% of those aged 65 and over, 48% of those aged 55-64, 41% aged 45-54, and 34% aged 35-44 consider these issues vital.
A 2021 report by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research found that 51% of evangelicals believed Jews are still God’s chosen people, 19% were unsure, 17% believed that Christians replaced Jews as the chosen people, and 10% thought Jews were never God’s chosen people.
The same report revealed a generational divide, with 59% of respondents aged 70 or older affirming that Jews remain the chosen people, compared to only 44% of those aged 40 and below.