During my time at university, I’ve noticed groups of fellow university students attending church every Sunday: normally in groups of two, or semi-large groups. They would take a break from working or studying at the library and go to church for two hours.
This ritual surprised me. I decided to do some research on whether this was a more widespread trend than what I was noticing. After all, I had never noticed people my age going to church when I was in high school, so why am I noticing this now as a university student? After some research, i found that there, in fact, has been a numerical increase of churchgoers in my generation, Gen Z.
A recent survey by ‘The Quiet Revival’, conducted by YouGov and commissioned by Bible Society, has shown that there has been an increase from a reported four percent of eighteen to twenty four year olds saying they attended church monthly in 2018,to sixteen percent in 2025. The survey also states more Gen Z men are attending church than their women counterparts. g
These statistics beg the question: why? What has caused this shift in faith?
Often, when answering questions in regard to Gen Z’s sociocultural anomalies, one should consider Gen Z’s unique online identity. After all, Gen Z’s global average daily screen time is 9 hours. With all this time spent online, Gen Z individuals have reported feeling dissociative and a sense of alienation. It’s a real paradox: Gen Z are hyperconnected online but disconnected in real life. 73 percent of Gen Z report often feeling alone sometimes.
Perhaps this is another reason for the influx of Gen Z individuals going to church. Religious institutions offer a sense of community and social support. It’s no wonder lonely Gen Z individuals find these qualities attractive.
Another possible influence for the rise in Gen Z individuals going to church is the apparent global shift to conservatism. This is evident in how there has been a global slide toward authoritarian styles of governance, a key example being Donald Trump’s presidency in the US. Young people in the U.S. are reported as having more conservative views than their parents. In North America, there has been growing support for conservative politicians from younger voters, with a rising share of them leaning towards conservative politicians such as Pierre Poilievre and Donald Trump.
The church is an institution that is central to conservative lifestyles. Conservatism is defined as a cultural, social and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to preserve traditional values, institutions and customs. The present day has been, up till now, characteristically more atheist than other stages in history.
However, the excess of choice in present day modern culture may be a contributing factor driving this cultural reversal back to traditional values. The excess of choice in modern culture is referred to as the ‘choice paradox,’ a term coined by psychologist Barry Schwartz. ‘Choice paradox’ can be rudimentarily exemplified in the experience of buying milk from a supermarket where one may feel overwhelmed by the 20 different milk options to choose from; 1%, 2%, oat, almond, almond vanilla, cashew, semi skimmed, the list goes on. Schwartz argues how an excess of choices causes one to feel less satisfied with the decision one makes, due to increased regret over our choices. Beyond the wide selection of different milk types at the supermarket, we are exposed to increasingly diverse (and even dubious) perspectives through social media. While this can nuance social dialogue, it can also overwhelm us with various contradictory ideologies, sometimes making moral decisions more difficult.
Hence, the church may offer solace from such a modern-day issue of choice paradox. Adherence to Christian guidelines such as the Christian instruction to act according to God’s will allows one to retire from an excess of individual freedom and choice that is characteristic of the present day, instead allowing for a focus on adhering to God’s will. A motivation to make decisions according to God’s will would reduce anxiety that one is making the wrong decisions. Additionally, going to church satisfies the search for a sense of community and social support that present day individuals endeavour towards.
Regarding these factors altogether, along with the broader cultural shift to conservatism, may help explain the recent rise in Gen Z churchgoers, shedding light on why more Gen Z members are turning to the church.