Young People Are Becoming More Religious, Polling Shows

What’s happening: A nonpartisan nonprofit conducted research among 18- to 25-year-olds in Generation Z, showing that about one-third of participants believed in God or a higher power. This is an increase from 2021’s findings, in which about one-quarter of those polled gave the same answer.

What’s causing the surge in faith? The pandemic, plus the economic and personal hardships caused by lockdowns and mandates, may have caused more young people to turn to religion as a means of making sense of things and finding comfort. Multiple surveys have found that people turn to something greater than themselves when faced with a disaster.

Conflicting reports: Previous surveys have found that Gen Z is the least religious generation. In line with that, other polls have shown Gen Zers are more “progressive and pro-government” and support more liberal candidates and policies. These new findings may indicate that Gen Z is, however, growing in faith amid the culture war and the mental health crisis plaguing the country’s youth.

Big picture: The secular progressivism that manifests in culture war issues like critical race theory and gender ideology is at direct odds with the traditional values rooted in Judeo-Christian religions. Because of this, an increase in faith will have political ramifications for the country, mainly to the benefit of Republicans.