New Survey Suggests Young Adults in U.K. More Likely to Pray Than Older Generations
Surprising news out of the U.K. should lift your spirits about the faith of the next generation.
Apparently, the secret life of many young adults in the United Kingdom includes a greater habit of prayer than those of older generations.
This exciting discovery is according to a new Savanta ComRes survey commissioned and released by the Church of England.
The Christian Post shared news of the results in a recent article. The survey asked people how often they pray on their own or with others.
“Over half (56%) of respondents aged 18 to 34 said they have prayed at some point in their lives, and 32% claimed to have prayed within the last month. Among respondents 55 and older, less than half (41%) said they had ever prayed, and 25% stated they had done so within the last month.”
National Lead for Evangelism and Witness for the Church of England Rev. Stephen Hance said in a statement, “These findings really challenge the all-too-common assumption that young people are not interested in faith or spiritual things. In fact they show us that — more than simply being interested in spirituality — they are already exploring it in practice, to a greater extent than their elders.”
In contrast, another study released by the American Bible Society suggests the American young adults who identify as followers of Jesus are less likely to attend religious services in person. The report notes that “40% of Generation Z adults ages 18 and older attend church ‘primarily online.'”
The pandemic may well have played a factor in this shift to online attendance as The Christian Post article notes the timing of the survey is post-pandemic. The study involved adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia and the data was collected January 10-28, 2022.
The surprising but encouraging news about the increase in prayer in younger generations in the U.K. may reflect an uptick due to interest in mindfulness and meditation, according to the Church of England.
Rev. Dr. Hance also states, “This also confirms what other research has told us, that while younger people may be under-represented in church, this isn’t indicative of a lack of interest in faith.” Because of this understanding, he indicated that the Church of England has prioritized engaging young adults for the decade ahead.
Younger generations may be finding different motivations for practicing their faith as well as different vehicles for expressing it, but the hopeful note of both studies is they still feel the need for God and are seeking Him.
