Controversial Code Not as Influential As Some Might Think, Says Barna
by Jody Brown
May 18, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Christian pollster George Barna is offering some intriguing findings about the perceived and predicted influence of The Da Vinci Code, in both the written and theatrical form. In short, he says his findings indicate that reading the book -- or viewing the upcoming movie -- is more likely to confirm rather than change people's religious views. The best-selling novel by author Dan Brown has been read "cover to cover," says The Barna Group, by about 45 million adult Americans. That equates to approximately 20 percent of all adults, making it "the most widely read book with a spiritual theme, other than the Bible, to have penetrated American homes," says the research group.
Roughly one-fourth of those adults (24 percent) -- or 11 million adults -- reported the book was helpful in some measure in relation to their "personal spiritual growth or understanding." But did it change their beliefs, as many conservative critics have suspected? Evidently not very often, says Barna.
"Among the 45 million who have read The Da Vinci Code," says Barna's report, "only 5 percent -- which represents about two million adults -- said that they changed any of the beliefs or religious perspectives because of the book's content." Still, the research group cautions that a book with that much influence on two million people is not to be taken lightly.
The head of The Barna Group offers this observation. In the novel, says George Barna, many people "encountered information that confirmed what they already believed," and many others "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 ...."
So, while the book has generated controversy and discussion, says Mr. Barna, "it has not revolutionized the way that Americans think about Jesus, the Church, or the Bible."
But what does that portend for the influence of the movie version, which is set to hit U.S. theaters on Friday (May 19)? Barring any negative pre-release critiques, Barna says more than 30 million adults are likely to watch the film. And statistics reveal that two-thirds of those who buy a ticket to the Ron Howard-directed flick have already read the book, says Barna -- meaning that more than 10 million adults going to the theater to watch stars Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou will not have read the novel.
If the movie has a similar level of influence on the movie-goers as the book has had on adult readers, Barna estimates about half-a-million adults could be expected to change one or more of their religious beliefs. George Barna believes the most significant impact among those affected could be felt by young people who watch the movie because their belief systems are still being developed and, therefore, are more susceptible to new teachings. And that could carry over to home viewing, he notes.
"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," Mr. Barna observes. And because films tend to have more "stickiness" than do printed materials, adds the researcher, it is possible the movie could end up having more long-term influence on people's spiritual development than does the book.
Finally, Barna notes that according to its study, American Catholics -- despite criticism and warnings from the hierarchy of their church -- are among those most likely to attend the movie. Perhaps that is one reason Pittsburg Bishop Donald Wuerl, who has been chosen to replace Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, is advising Roman Catholics who want to see The Da Vinci Code to read the New Testament gospels first -- so they will know "what actually happened," he says.
Wuerl, who will be installed next month as archbishop of Washington, says he started but could not finish Dan Brown's novel, because he found it "so unrelated to the reality of the church."
