For as long as it's been measured, women have been more religious than men. But an alarming shift is happening in American religion: For the first time, young women are now less religious than men. A new Barna Group study shows that Gen Z women ages 18–24 are less likely than young men of the same age to identify with a faith or be very active in church.
Yet, even as church attendance and religious affiliation decline, spiritual openness among Gen Z men and women remains high — 73% of Gen Z believe in God or a higher power, and 60% say they're more open to God today than before the pandemic.
Cicely Corry is Editorial Director at Barna Group, where she leads online content strategy to help Christian leaders understand key trends affecting the Church. With over 10 years serving in student ministry, she can share how Gen Z's "spiritual but not religious" outlook presents a challenge and opportunity for the Church.
Connect with Cicely and her work:
Instagram and her own podcast, Life with the Corrys.
• Gen Z Vol. 3 Report and Gen Z Barna article
• Open Generation Report and Open Generation Barna article
• Aging Well Report and Aging Well Barna article
Reach out to us at nextgennow@thehills.org and find more information about The Hills Church at www.thehills.org.
