SW News: Teens around the world hold a positive concept about Jesus saying He “offers hope”, says a recent survey done by a US-based polling firm. The survey figures were revealed by Barna on Wednesday and it said that “one in three Christian teens believes Jesus is active in the world today”.

The survey was conducted among 25,000 teenagers between the age of 13-17, from 26 countries who speak 17 different languages. In the survey, 46 percent of the teen population saw Jesus as someone who “offers hope to people”.

The survey named Open Generation is an international research to help Church leaders understand teenagers around the world. The Barnas study revealed that 43 percent of them believe Jesus is someone who cares about others. As much as 38 percent are of the opinion that He is “trustworthy” and 37 percent say He is “generous”.

The survey was conducted in partnership with various Christian faith-related organizations like Alpha, Biblica, World Vision, Christian Vision, Bible Study Fellowship, Christ In Youth and the Association of Christian Schools International.

The survey was based on teens’ views about Jesus, the Bible and justice. In the young group’s idea about the Bible, the survey mainly concentrated on their “interest in scripture and how they apply God's word to their lives, grouping respondents into three categories: Bible engaged, Bible open and Bible unengaged.”

“Bible teaches about living a meaningful life (84%), understanding their purpose (84%) and living wisely in society (80%)”, the Barna website explained the research results.

Barna is a private, non-biased, evangelical polling firm based in Ventura, California. They have been “conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984.”

On their website, Barna says why they have used the word “the open generation” for the study. “From a global vantage point, there is a lightness of being among today’s teens that is less common among young adults even just a few years older.”