Is Gen Z — the youngest adult generation in America — experiencing revival? George Barna’s new report tackles that question, specifically looking at significant trends in Gen Z over the past four years.
His analysis, according to his latest news release, is “based on findings from three separate American Worldview Inventory surveys, tracking 32 key faith and worldview indicators from 2022 to 2026.”
‘It’s complicated’
The answer to the question of Gen Z and revival? He noted, “it’s complicated.”
“In some ways, Gen Z has witnessed a significant uptick in a few key spiritual indicators in the past four years, suggesting promising spiritual openness among young adults. More are claiming to be Christians (up five percentage points), substantially more say they are ‘deeply committed to practicing their faith,’ and more are reading their Bibles on a weekly basis (up 17 percentage points and 10 percentage points respectively),” he noted.
“At the same time, a number of equally important measures — including their views on socialism and marriage — are going the wrong way.”
He added that another dozen-plus spiritual indicators “remain unchanged — including nine foundational worldview measurements such as their understanding of God and His truth, of human nature, and the Bible — leaving Gen Z with a biblical worldview level of just 1% — the lowest of any American generation.”
When it comes to the question of revival, he noted, the most optimistic view may be that Gen Z seems to be spiritually open and actively seeking. “But as a generation, there currently are few signs of deep or lasting positive shifts in their biblical foundation or overall worldview,” the news release said.
Highlights from report
Here are highlights from the new report, according to Barna’s assessment, on the current faith and worldview of Gen Z, young adults currently 18 to 23 years old:
— “The Kirk assassination created a moment of spiritual openness. In the eight months surrounding Charlie Kirk’s death, weekly church attendance ticked up and the number of Gen Z adults who ‘never’ read the Bible declined. These are real, if modest, signs of movement.”
— “Socialism is gaining significant ground. The proportion of Gen Z adults who prefer socialism over capitalism rose from 22% to 39% in just four years — a 17-point shift that has profound implications for our culture and future.”
— “Traditional marriage is losing its biblical framing. An 18-point increase in Gen Z adults now view the marriage of one man and one woman as simply a personal choice — not God’s plan, and not morally superior to other relational options.”
— “Bible and spiritual engagement are increasing. Weekly Bible reading increased 10 percentage points and commitment to faith among Gen Z increased 17 percentage points over four years. And there’s been a five-percentage point increase in the proportion of Gen Z adults who now describe themselves as Christians (from 49% to 54%) — an increase, but still the lowest of any generation.”
— “Resistance to biblical behavior is softening. More of Gen Z reports ‘occasionally’ (rather than ‘never’) engaging in a number of significant biblical behaviors: Knowing and doing God’s will (an 11-point decline in ‘never’ doing so); acknowledging their sins and seeking God’s forgiveness (11-point decline in ‘never’ doing so); regularly making time to thank, praise and worship God (a nine-point drop in ‘never’ doing so).
— “Gen Z’s biblical worldview level remained steady — at an astounding low of 1%. In its tracking of 32 key measures of worldview, the research showed a substantial majority of Gen Z’s foundational beliefs and behaviors are fundamentally devoid of biblical alignment.”
‘Mixed’ findings
Barna noted these latest findings are “at best mixed.” The data, he said, does not yet confirm a revival — but instead, a generation that is searching.
“We see that behaviors are changing faster than beliefs — but history tells us that when behaviors are not rooted in a biblical foundation, they fade,” he said. “My past studies have shown that when people engage in religious action without an understanding of the underlying philosophy behind those behaviors, the practices eventually lose their appeal, the initial spiritual commitment fades, and then interest in the faith itself also wanes.”
‘Narrow but real window’
Barna noted a “narrow but real window of opportunity right now.” He said the key is an “unwavering commitment to proven disciple-making practices is vital.”
“By genuinely befriending the young adults who express interest in biblical Christianity, engaging them in meaningful and honest dialogue linked to biblical principles, and modeling the lifestyle that made Jesus so attractive to the people He mentored, seekers are more likely to embrace the Christian faith and way of living,” he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE — The Baptist Paper edited this report that was originally released by George Barna and the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. Barna, who founded the original Barna Group and now serves as director of research at the CRC, has more than four decades of experience studying faith and culture. He is the author of more than 60 books, including “Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul.”
