VENTURA, Calif. -- Although people are more likely to talk about the movies they watch or money matters, a recent study indicates that four out of 10 adults discuss religious or spiritual matters during the course of a week.

The Barna Research Group studied seven topics of conversation raised during a typical week. Of the topics evaluated, the most frequently discussed was the content of movies or television programs. Two out of every three adults talk about that topic during a typical week. The next most popular topics were money, discussed by nearly six out of 10 adults (57 percent), and sports, which is the focus of 55 percent.

Less popular topics, but also widely addressed, were politics (51 percent), parenting (50 percent), moral issues or situations (49 percent) and spiritual issues and beliefs (42 percent).

The survey, conducted in May, involved interviews among 1,002 adults with a sampling error of plus or minus 3.2 percent, according to the group.

The survey reported that 85 percent of all adults say religious faith is very important in their life. Since 81 percent align themselves with a particular faith group, the 42 percent who discussed their religious views or faith-related issues was lower than expected, researchers said.

Women, Baby Boomers, upscale individuals, blacks, Southerners, Republicans, conservatives, those attending churches of more than 100 people, and residents of Texas were most likely to talk about religious matters, the survey showed.

Asians, Hispanics, people not registered to vote or registered without a party affiliation, political moderates, downscale individuals, those who attend churches of less than 100 adults, and residents of California were least likely to talk about religious matters.

Unexpectedly, the research found that one out of every three atheists and agnostics (32 percent) talks about faith-related matters during a typical week, according to the research group.