Gen Z’s in their teens or in their twenties are far less likely to be atheists than their parents and grandparents, with many more identifying as “spiritual”, a new study has revealed.
The research counters assumptions that spirituality is on the decline and in fact implies God is “making a comeback”, with the younger generation the least likely to call themselves atheists, while middle-aged Generation X proving the most.
The survey of 10,000 people found only 13 per cent of under 25s identified as atheists, whereas 62 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds said they are “very” or “fairly” spiritual.
Comparatively, the poll conducted by OnePoll showed as many as a quarter of those aged between 45 and 60 called themselves an atheist.
Then, 20 per cent of those in both the Baby Boomer generation, over 65s, and Millennials aged between 25 to 44 described themselves as atheists.
But only 35 per cent of Baby Boomers, 36 per cent of 55 to 64 year olds, and 52 per cent of millennials aged between 35 to 44 said they are “very” or “fairly” spiritual.
Christopher Gasson, who commissioned the research, called the results “gobsmacking” and told The Times they imply that God is “making a comeback” in the UK.
But Mr Gasson, who is the author of The Devil’s Gospels: Finding God in Four Great Atheist Books, did add: “I imagine many church leaders will be rubbing their hands thinking this is the answer to their prayers but unfortunately for them, it isn’t... Whatever the survey might say about young people being more spiritual and religious than old people, it is equally clear that they are put off by established religion.”
Gen Z’s responses to how they “feed” their sense of the spiritual included “enjoying nature” and “mindfulness”, not “participating in religious practices”.
This backs up figures from the Church of England, which show close to a third of churches have “zero children” among their congregation.
According to a report last week, Gen Z are in fact more likely to be interested in astrology, with social media platforms such as TikTok seeing a boom in astrology-based feeds. Co-Star, an American app combining Nasa data and content from astrologers, rocketed from 7.5 million global users in 2020 to 30 million in 2023, while spending on astrology-related products is projected to grow to $22.8bn by 2031, up from $12.8bn in 2021.
Another explanation suggested for this trend is the religious backgrounds of the younger generation, with it being widely reported that Christian parents are often less successful at passing on their faith to their children.
Out of the 1,039 respondents aged under 25, 40 per cent of those identified as Christian, while 21 per cent said they are Muslim, and three per cent are Hindu.
Meanwhile, out of the 2,356 respondents aged over 65, as many as 69 per cent called themselves Christian, compared to one per cent Muslim or Hindu.
The survey also questioned 1,696 25 to 34 year olds, 1,637 35 to 44 year olds, 1,667 45 to 54 year olds, and 1,605 55 to 64 year olds.
