Methodology

This project uses a multi-method research approach combining qualitative interviews and large-scale survey data to understand how faith in storytelling engages audiences.

12,723

Online
interviews

56%

Watch TV or
Movies Daily

78%

Identify as
People of Faith

Who we studied.
And how we reached them

Who

General population consumers who watch TV or movies at least weekly
Oversamples of Jewish and Muslim respondents to achieve statistically readable sample among all major faith groups in the U.S.

How

Professionally recruited. Survey administered online.

When

In two waves, between September 9-18 & November 13-25, 2025

Age Breakdown

18-34

26%

35-49

24%

50-64

25%

65+

25%

Gender Breakdown

Male

50%

Female

50%

Religion Identity

n-size

Christian

5,579

Catholic

2,072

Protestant

2,266

Jewish

2,467

Muslim

2,652

Eastern Religions

90 Other Religion

265 Atheist/Agnostic

1,538

NOTE: Religious affiliation was weighted to reflect U.S. population.

BEHIND THE SCENES

How the Faith & Entertainment Index Score is Calculated

Each scene was evaluated across three core dimensions: entertainment value, faith portrayal, and engagement impact. Dimensions were weighted by their relative contribution to overall impact.
‍
Scores were combined into a single composite index and scaled from 0 to 100. At the total audience level, the highest-performing clip in this set scored 80.6.
‍
Scores are relative, reflecting each scene’s performance compared with the other clips tested. Higher scores indicate stronger engagement and faith portrayal, while lower scores reflect comparatively less impact within the evaluated set.

Entertainment Value

How much did you like or dislike this scene?

x1

Faith Portrayal

How well or poorly do you think faith was portrayed in this scene?
To what extent do you agree or disagree that each of the following statements describes this scene? (Average agreement across all “totems”)

x1.5

Engagement Impact

Overall, did this scene make you think more positively or negatively about faith, or did it have no impact?
How did this scene affect your interest in seeing the full show or film, or more content like it?

x2

Totems We Tested

Through rounds of qualitative research, we heard from a diverse audience of entertainment consumers and asked them to tell us what attributes from different pieces of media shaped their understanding and enjoyment of film & television.

These "Totems"—defined by consumers in their own words—form the initial building blocks of our quantitative scoring system for creators. Here is the full list of totems we used to shape the index:

Entertainment Totems

Feels like it's made for people like me

Is relatable

Is easy to understand

Avoids clichés or overused tropes

Makes you reflect or think deeply

Has characters who feel layered and complex

Connects to broader social issues

Shows realistic characters and situations

Uses humor respectfully

Is emotionally moving

Is entertaining

Faith-Specific Totems

Depicts faith authentically

Depicts faith accurately

Depicts faith through relatable, everyday experiences

Shows different perspectives within a faith

Shows characters exploring their faith

Places faith in contemporary or modern settings

Weaves faith naturally into the story or journey

Teaches something new about faith

Challenges common stereotypes about faith

Appeals to people of a different faith

Appeals to people with no faith or spirituality

Avoids offending people of a particular faith

Avoids preachy or heavily faith-based language

Deep Dive: Advanced Analysis

We took a multi-method approach to understand not just what audiences think, but why certain stories resonate.

In-depth qualitative research was paired with a large national survey of entertainment consumers, alongside analysis of organic social commentary and AI-assisted tonal coding at the scene level.

The result is insight rooted in lived experience—not assumptions.

Social Media Sentiment

We scraped and analyzed 38K+ of online comments on these scenes to understand how media consumers organically react to this faith in entertainment.

AI-Assisted
‍Tonal Coding

We applied an AI-informed taxonomy of 130+ audience-defined tones, grounded in our primary research, to identify the most prominent tones in each scene.

About the Faith & Media Initiative

The Faith & Media Initiative (FAMI) is a non-profit dedicated to ensuring more accurate, balanced representation of all faiths in entertainment and news by providing research to uncover opportunities, resources and tools to tackle the topic, and awards recognizing excellence. The engine behind FAMI is a global Coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to achieving this important mission.

Learn more about FAMI

About HarrisX

HarrisX is a leading global research consultancy that conducts major market research, public policy polling and social science studies in more than 40 countries around the world. It is part of Stagwell Global and the sister company of the Harris Poll, which has conducted public release polling internationally since 1963.

Learn more about HarrisX