Young Brits ‘more likely to be spiritual’ than their parents, study finds

Young Britons are increasingly turning to spirituality and religion, with a greater propensity to believe in God than their elders, as per one of the most extensive surveys on religion carried out in the last ten years.

The report, ‘Belief in Britain’ report was assembled to highlight trends in belief in God, involved 10,000 participants.

The report disclosed that an astonishing 82% of Gen Z, those born post-1996, identify as spiritual, while a mere 13% regard themselves as atheists.

This is in stark contrast to the 22% of Boomers and 25% of Gen X who profess to have no belief in a higher power. The new ‘Belief in Britain’ report was assembled to highlight trends in belief in God.

The study found that a growing number of youngsters are seeking answers from God in an increasingly complex world, with nearly a third stating they believe in God to feel connected to something larger than themselves.

The report observed that Gen Z were more inclined to believe that God explains the origin of the universe (25%) and to believe in life after death (24%).

The report was commissioned by journalist and Sunday school teacher Christopher Gasson, coinciding with the release of his book, The Devils’ Gospels: Finding God in Four Great Atheist Books.

Gasson was motivated to delve into the topic after noticing that the teenagers in his Sunday school showed more interest in debating atheism than in traditional Bible stories.

There is a significant spiritual surge among Generation Z, though scepticism about organised religion persists.

The younger crowd is increasingly believing in higher powers; however, 61% of all adults believe Christianity will lose followers in the next ten years. Merely 22% feel religion holds a positive image in today’s Britain.

Gasson admitted traditional institutions must evolve to maintain relevance, stressing the survey as a wake-up call for church leaders.

A third of those questioned feel religious figures should be more active in local communities, whereas 31% want them to confront past grievances directly.

Some propose that the churches should engage doubters, harness social media for youth outreach, and enter scientific dialogues.

Gasson contends that too much energy has been wasted by the Church battling secularism instead of confronting its own flaws.