Religious resurgence stirs Gen Z
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New polling shows an uptick in religious fervor among young men, even as overall U.S. levels remain near historic lows.
Why it matters: Gen Z still has the highest share of religiously unaffiliated adults in modern history. But small hints of a religious rebound have spawned speculation about how that could reshape politics, culture wars and church strategy for years to come.
Driving the news: A Gallup poll released Thursday found that 42% of young men between the ages of 18-to-29 now say religion is "very important" in their lives.
- That's up from 28% just a few years ago.
- The uptick reverses a long-standing gender gap: "One of the truisms in American social science has been there's a gender gap in religion" with women being more religious than men, Frank Newport, an author of the report and a Gallup senior scientist, tells Axios.
- "When we're seeing the gender gap essentially disappear ... among the young people, that's an interesting finding."
Reality check: An Axios review of other recent surveys showed slight increases in reported church attendance among Gen Z men but little to suggest they're driving a "revival" like the Third Great Awakening of the early 1900s or post–World War II religious boom.
- Tens of thousands of churches are expected to close over the next several years, as a record number of Americans (29%) are identifying as religiously unaffiliated.
Context: A wave of recent headlines has spotlighted young men showing up in greater numbers at churches, especially in Catholic and conservative evangelical congregations.
- Stories from outlets like The New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have pointed to packed pews, viral conversions and "Theobro" culture as signs of a possible revival.
- Some pastors report increased interest from Gen Z men, often tied to searches for community, structure or values.
What they're saying: "There are anecdotes, but we just are not finding anything in our data," Melissa Deckman, CEO of the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), tells Axios.
- Deckman said the trend may simply be that Gen Z's decline isn't as steep as millennials', not that religion is rebounding
- "In certain parishes, there definitely is revival. But it's not at a national level. There's no hard evidence. It just seems anecdotal," Andrew Chesnut, Virginia Commonwealth University's Catholic studies chair, tells Axios.
- Chesnut said some of the attention is driven by young men — sometimes tied to conservative or "manosphere" spaces — but not a documented nationwide shift.
By the numbers: About 34% of Gen Z adults are religiously unaffiliated, far higher than older generations, a 2024 PRRI survey found.
- Just 11% attend religious services weekly, and 38% say they never attend, according to the same survey.
- Only 17% say religion is the most important thing in their life, the survey then said.
Yes, but: There is something happening: Young men's rising religiosity is real and measurable, even if limited.
- Religious attendance among young men has climbed to about 40% monthly or more, its highest level in over a decade, while young women have seen only modest gains, the new Gallup poll found.
- The share saying religion is "very important" (42%) is roughly on par with 2000–2001 highs — not unprecedented, just a rebound, according to a Gallup review of years of data.
Between the lines: Religion may be becoming countercultural for a subset of Gen Z.
- In a generation defined by declining affiliation, being religious can signal identity and rebellion — particularly among young men.
- That dynamic can look like a revival up close, even if it doesn't scale nationally.
The bottom line: There's no broad Gen Z religious revival, but there is a targeted, politically tinged uptick among young men that's reshaping the conversation.
- It could be the beginning of a tectonic shift, though Gen Z church attendance would have to skyrocket even move to defy historic trends.
