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Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ has created an unprecedented buzz in the American culture. Understanding that phenomenon is the goal of a nationwide study being conducted by faculty at Spring Arbor and Regent Universities. Robert H. Woods, assistant professor of communication, and Michael C. Jindra, associate professor of sociology, both of Spring Arbor University, and Jason D. Baker, associate professor of education at Regent University, will gather responses from 10,000-15,000 viewers of the blockbuster film and analyze the data. Those who have viewed The Passion of the Christ can participate in the study at www.edcomresearch.com/passion.html. The group hopes to uncover the various motives and reasons people have for attending the film and to understand how they are using the film to meet certain psychological, sociological and religious needs. The study will also analyze how the motives behind seeing the film and resulting affects of viewing it differ across segments of the American population. "As communication and sociology scholars, we're interested in how people make meaning of or interact with particular communication events or messages," says Woods. "This is one of the most unique events to hit our culture in years. It has been a unifying force among Catholics and Protestants and the mainstream media are talking about The Passion like no previous 'religious' work. Film is a powerful industry that affects the way people believe, act and live. Understanding our nation's response to The Passion is vital to our understanding of American culture." The study itself is designed to test statements made about the film — statements concerning its content, effect on movie-goers, effect on personal spirituality and Christians' evangelistic use of the film. It will also compare Christian and non-Christian responses. "We looked at what secular and religious communities were saying about the film and began to gather statements for the survey," says Woods. "We then pre-tested the questions on a smaller sample before launching the study." Considering all the controversy surrounding The Passion, the results of the survey will offer a fresh perspective on what moviegoers truly thought of Gibson's film. "Rather than ascribing 'expected' perspectives to different groups of people, this survey gives us a chance to ask viewers themselves to share their experiences. We will then see what interesting patterns emerge," says Baker. "Since the survey is not exclusively written for Christians, we hope to better understand how different segments of the population react to this film." Results of the research will be released nationwide upon the study's completion. Those who have seen The Passion of the Christ are encouraged to participate; all responses will be anonymous and confidential. Woods holds master's degrees in education, counseling and communication, a juris doctorate, and a doctorate in communication studies — all from Regent University. Baker earned his master's in educational technology leadership at The George Washington University and a doctorate in communication at Regent University. Jindra earned his master's and doctorate in cultural anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. To participate in the study, visit www.edcomresearch.com/passion.html. For more information, contact Woods at 517-750-6490 or rwoods@arbor.edu. |
