A “spiritual awakening” is happening in Generation Z-A (11-18s), which “defies every prediction about declining religious engagement”, Youth for Christ (YFC) says.
The charity was launching a report last week, Z-A Growing Spirituality, drawing on 1009 completed anonymous online surveys from across Britain which a research company undertook for it in May. Of the respondents, 52 per cent identified as Christian. One third (35 per cent) considered themselves to be “a follower of Jesus” — up from 23 per cent in a YFC survey carried out in 2020 — and eight per cent said that they attended church as part of their week — up from four per cent.
The charity had previously surveyed the same age brackets in 2016 and 2020. In 2016, participants were asked: “Which of the following, if any, do you believe in?” with the options “God” (selected by 32 per cent), “ghosts and spirits” (22 per cent), and “Don’t believe in either” (47 per cent). In 2025, asked whether they believed in God, 48 per cent answered “yes”, with “no” at 28 per cent and “unsure” at 24 per cent. In total, 19 per cent said that they had had a spiritual experience — up from 11 per cent in 2020.
A total of 43 per cent said that they prayed, up from 31 per cent in 2020 (and from 41 per cent in 2016). Of the 43 per cent, 61 per cent said that this was daily. When they were asked, “Who or what do you pray to?”, the top answer remained God (79 per cent), but the second most common response was “myself” (14 per cent).
Following the "Quiet Revival" report I had a look at a new report by Youth for Christ looking at 11-18-year-olds & "something profound happening beneath the surface of our cultural conversations" https://t.co/6AaIB3GWIT
— Madeleine Davies (@MadsDavies) July 18, 2025