More U.S. Christians Say Government Should Help Care for Vulnerable Children Than Churches or Individuals

March 12, 2026

A new study, conducted by the Barna Group, suggests that fewer American Christians believe churches and individual believers bear primary responsibility for helping vulnerable children and that government authorities should play a larger role.

Christianity Today reports that the study, commissioned by the Faith to Action Initiative and the Martin James Foundation, was based on responses from 3,351 self-identified Christian adults surveyed between Sept. 24 and Oct. 8.

The study was compared with responses from a similar survey of 3,000 Christians taken between Nov. 11 and Dec. 3, 2020.

The new study showed roughly 28% of Christians in the United States report donating to orphanages, children’s homes or residential care organizations, contributing an estimated $4.5 billion annually.

Researchers reported that, even though 68% acknowledged studies showing negative developmental effects associated with institutional care, many Christians still expressed positive views of orphanages and saw them as a necessary resource.

According to Christianity today, support for the belief that “National governments should take more responsibility to see that children in their own countries are cared for in families” rose to 88% in 2025, up from 84% in 2020.

Those views were found to be widely supported across all age groups.

Likewise, in the 2025 survey, 74% of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that “The U.S. government should take more responsibility to see that children around the world are cared for in families,” compared with 69% in 2020.

Researchers say the study also found declining agreement that Christians themselves carry an obligation to care for vulnerable children worldwide, with 78% of respondents saying that Christians have such a responsibility, down from 89% in 2020.

Photo: top, Credit: Unsplash/Robert Collins