At Springtide, we focus on learning and understanding how young people make meaning via their religious and spiritual lives and beyond. Over the years, we’ve gathered numerous insights on how young people think, feel, act, and believe. Some of our findings encourage religious and spiritual leaders, while others may cause
As part of our work for The State of Religion & Young People 2023: Exploring the Sacred, we invited young people ages 13 to 25 to submit an original photo to My Sacred Space, an online photo gallery that showcases what they consider to be sacred via a photo they
In our latest report, The State of Religion & Young People 2023: Exploring the Sacred, young people report that sacred moments are characterized by truth, wonder, awe, gratitude, and a sense of interconnectedness. These moments can take place while experiencing certain emotional states, like inspiration or suffering, and usually evoke
In our latest report, The State of Religion & Young People 2023: Exploring the Sacred, young people say that sacred experiences aren’t necessarily tied to physical places but are more often found in moments. That said, young people do point to certain spaces and places where sacred moments show up
Those in ministry often ask, “Why don’t young people come to religious services?” Service attendance isn’t the primary marker of a full spiritual life, especially for Gen Z. Sixty-eight percent of young people we surveyed for The State of Religion & Young People 2023: Exploring the Sacred said they were
Technology’s impact on the way we experience the world is not as clear-cut as it once was. Digital spaces and the level of connection that happens there have grown more complex, more tangible and durable, and more meaningful out of necessity. Our research shows that interconnectedness is a key factor
In our annual State of Religion & Young People reports, we survey young people on certain dimensions of religion and spirituality to measure changes from both year to year and over time. These questions of identity, community, belief, and practice help us paint a robust picture of young people’s religious
In 2023, Springtide embarked on new research with students from Catholic schools from across the country. The findings revealed some specific insights around creating a sense of belonging for students. In this post, we share some insights inspired by this research and other Springtide data on building belonging in an
Springtide data show that fewer and fewer young people are reporting regular attendance at religious services. This is on par with the larger trend of declining service attendance by people of all ages in the United States. Our findings also show that a majority of young people report either past
Our newest report, The State of Religion & Young People 2023: Exploring the Sacred, detailed young people’s sacred experience. Young people told us that for them the sacred isn’t confined to certain spaces or places, but instead exists in moments that evoke feelings of awe, connection, reverence, or appreciation. Perhaps