Young adults are joining churches - here's why

A new report shows that young adults in the UK today are approaching faith as a source of emotional wellbeing rather than social inheritance.

Published by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life, the report demonstrates a shift from inherited to personal experience of faith in 18-34 year olds. The results from a survey of 2,000 adults who said they had experienced a change in their beliefs highlight some significant insights into why people are moving towards or away from faith and religion.

The report shows that 40 per cent of 18-34 year olds are pursuing faith or changing religion due to a desire for personal growth or healing. Additionally, more than a quarter of people in that age group identified mental health as a key element of their journey towards faith. In contrast, only 16 per cent of people over the age of 35 consider mental health to be a significant part of their faith journey.

Results also identified the importance of a sense of belonging and community to young adults. Compared to people aged 65 and older, an 18-34 year old is twice as likely to leave their faith community due to lack of belonging or support.

The influence of social media, being raised in a religious household, or being exposed to religion at school were also examined in the report. According to the survey’s results, individuals engaging with religion primarily through social media have a 93 per cent likelihood of joining a religion compared to only a 7 per cent likelihood of "losing" their faith.

On the other hand, an 18-34 year old who was raised in a religious household has a 56 per cent chance of becoming an atheist or experiencing weakened faith. This likelihood increases to 63 per cent for those who first encounter faith through school.

The report’s author, Rania Mohiuddin-Agir, said the results demonstrate a “profound paradigm shift" in the way young adults think about faith.

“For this generation, the value of faith is measured less by social inheritance and more by its capacity to address contemporary challenges in practical and relevant ways,” she said. “By contrast, older generations are more inclined to draw strength and stability from religion during times of difficulty, reflecting a more traditional view of faith as a source of structure.

“Ultimately, younger generations’ engagement with faith will depend less on social inheritance and more on its ability to meet the practical, emotional, and ethical needs of a generation seeking meaning, resilience, and agency in an uncertain world.”