Are there places you’d like to visit, but you worry about the safety of such a trip? For many evangelicals, this describes travel to Israel.
Forty percent of evangelical Protestants are extremely interested in visiting the nation of Israel. Another 45% are moderately interested in such a trip.
Interest is especially strong among younger evangelicals, those who are Pentecostal or charismatic, and those who are more engaged with their faith (more frequent church attendance and Bible readership, for instance).
New Study
We present these findings and more from the new study The Holy Land Journey: Evangelicals and Israel Travel. Grey Matter Research and Infinity Concepts conducted research among over 1,000 evangelicals to learn how they feel about travel to Israel.
(For a free copy of The Holy Land Journey, simply e-mail ron@greymatterresearch.com.)
A Powerful Recommendation
Few evangelicals have ever been to Israel (7%). But among those who have, over half (52%) express an extremely high level of interest in returning. Another 43% of previous visitors are moderately interested in a repeat trip. The fact that 95% of previous evangelical visitors would consider returning is a pretty powerful recommendation for Israel travel.
But there are concerns
Other than the obstacles inherent in any international trip (costs, length of the trip, etc.), there’s one significant concern evangelicals hold about going to Israel: safety. Setting aside any potential worries about COVID-19, just 18% of evangelicals believe it is extremely safe to travel in Israel. Overall, 40% see Israel as generally safe, 27% believe it is generally unsafe, and 33% are unsure or come down right in the middle.
What impact do concerns about safety have? Among those who are extremely interested in visiting Israel, 63% feel is it generally safe. Among those who are not at all interested in visiting Israel, only 9% feel it is generally safe. That’s a pretty stark difference.
However, it is problematic for Israel tourism that even among evangelicals with the strongest desire to visit Israel, almost half have at least some question about the safety of a Holy Land journey.
The folks who have already made the trip might have something to tell their fellow evangelicals. Only 8% of previous visitors believe Israel travel is unsafe.
Discover more
Discover more in The Holy Land Journey. Just e-mail your request to ron@greymatterresearch.com and we’ll send you the free report.
And while you’re at it, think about how research like this can address the questions you have about your own organization’s current and potential constituents. What are the things you wish you knew about your target market? Grey Matter Research has helped clients in industries as diverse as tourism, automotive, professional sports, cancer care, financial services, and homebuilding, among many others.
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