Faith by the Numbers

Award-winning Film

FAITH BY THE NUMBERS

THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF RELIGION IN THE U.S.

Faith by the Numbers: The Socio-economic Impact of Religion in the U.S. is a short film based on unprecedented research conducted by Brian Grim (Georgetown University) and Melissa Grim (Newseum Institute), both of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, and published in the peer-reviewed Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. With a combined impact of $1.2 trillion annually, Faith Counts, an interfaith organization highlighting the value of faith in people’s lives, wanted to demonstrate the scale of the findings from the study in a way that was easily accessible.

Coronation Media condensed over 30 pages of empirical analysis into a short script, and built a unique blend of live-video and motion design to bring the research to life. This video was accompanied by the development of a full slide deck for live presentations, multiple infographics for social sharing, and several one-sheets for reporter reference during the press release.

Faith by the Numbers was quickly picked up by news outlets, and featured on the Washington Post, Christianity Today, Crux, Religion News Service, and Fox News. Faith by the Numbers was awarded Gold in the Motion Graphics Information category during the 2017 Hermes Creative Awards.*

Jim Denison, Ph.D., asserts: “It’s not often that an academic report changes the conversation about religion in America, but one just did. Georgetown [University’s] Brian Grim and Melissa Grim of the Newseum Institute have unveiled their groundbreaking study: “The Socio-economic Contributions of Religion to American Society: An Empirical Analysis.”

In fact, the Guardian’s story on the research was shared 19,135 (as of April 2018). By contrast, its headline story announcing that Donald Trump wins presidential election was shared 17,153 times.

* Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional materials and programs, and emerging technologies. Entries come from corporate marketing and communication departments, advertising agencies, PR firms, graphic design shops, production companies, web and digital creators and freelancers.