Three out of four Millennials (75%) say they are searching for their purpose in life, according to newly released survey from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University.
The study, “Millennials in America: New Insights into the Generation of Growing Influence,” was released Nov. 9. With a focus on better understanding adults born between 1984 and 2002, the Cultural Research Center noted suicide rates in 2020 reportedly climbed 5% among those aged 25- to 34-year-olds. And while suicide remains the second-leading cause of death among Millennials, suicide has declined among most other generations.
A closer look at the numbers
The survey found that only 22% of Millennials surveyed describe life as sacred. About 50% of them see life as “what you make it; there is no absolute value associated with human life,” while only one-third of adults from older generations (32%) agree with that perspective.
Some blame these findings, the study noted, on this generation’s perceived lack of interest in the Christian faith.
While about 50% of Millennials say they are “deeply committed to practicing their religious faith,” only about 4 out of 10 say they attended a Christian church service in the past month. The report added that four out of 10 of Millennials had spent at least an hour reading the Bible, and about four out of 10 said they had given to a church or faith-based organization.
Overall, according to the study, 66% of those surveyed said they are either “very” (29%) or “somewhat” (37%) satisfied with life. Of the 29% of those who said they were very satisfied with life, 31% of those responses related to their spiritual life.
‘Life is not about us’
People must realize that “life is not about us, and purpose is not buried within us,” said George Barna, director of research at the Cultural Research Center.
“Life is about knowing, loving and serving a gracious, mighty, forgiving and supportive Creator,” he wrote. “God alone determines our purpose in life – the purpose for which He created and gifted each of us, and the life to which He calls us.”
“We extract meaning from life by relating to and serving Him,” he added. “Anything less is bound to result in frustration and despair.”
