Religion in entertainment isn’t the audience turnoff that Hollywood might think. In fact, it might be one of the reasons people are tuning in.
A national survey released by HarrisX and the Faith & Media Initiative found that 77% of viewers agree that faith in TV and movies has broad appeal—with consistent support from Gen Z (79%), millennials (83%), Gen X (78%) and baby boomers (72%). Political affiliation didn’t matter much either: 82% of Republicans, 75% of Democrats and 73% of independents all agreed.
Most notably, 92% of consumers said they’re open to faith representation in entertainment.
“I knew it would be a big number, but that really is almost like 100%,” said Brooke Zaugg, executive director of the Faith & Media Initiative.
Researchers surveyed more than 12,000 participants who watched more than 100 scenes from 50 films and TV series, including Beef, The Pitt, Hacksaw Ridge, Ramy and Nobody Wants This. They evaluated each clip on entertainment value, authenticity and whether it made them want to watch more.
The demographic most affected by faith scenes? Atheists and agnostics.
Before watching, 53% of nonreligious viewers said shows exploring faith and spirituality were more appealing. After watching the scenes, that increased to 58%. Similarly, 53% initially found faith-based shows more relatable, which rose to 61% after viewing.
“They were the most responsive,” Zaugg said. “The biggest increase in terms of how they felt after watching it.”
The study found that emotional sincerity drives engagement, while sarcasm and stereotypes fall flat. Complexity and doubt performed nearly as well as overtly positive portrayals—as long as they felt authentic.
“Religion can feel scary to talk about — like politics — so it creates the illusion that it’s a small group,” Zaugg said. “That makes it easy for filmmakers to oversimplify it or not give it much thought, instead of recognizing how valuable faith storytelling can be when it’s done well.”
The research suggests audiences are not looking for Sunday school lessons to show up in entertainment. But they are looking for honest, authentic stories about what people actually believe — and struggle to believe — in real life.
