The Newest Generation of Religious “Nones”
According to Springtide Research Institute’s data on young people, one-third of teens and young adults (33%) are religious “Nones”—a broad category that often includes atheists, agnostics, those unaffiliated with organized religion, and the “spiritual but not religious.”
But who are young “Nones” and what do they believe?
“Nones” hold diverse and dynamic beliefs
Despite being grouped together, religious “Nones” hold a wide range of beliefs. Some are committed atheists who reject the existence of a higher power. Others are agnostics who are unsure—but curious—about spiritual matters. Most still believe in something—61% of religious “Nones” report belief in a higher power. This includes about a quarter (26%) who say they believe in a higher power’s existence more than they doubt and another 16% who say they have no doubts about the existence of a higher power. In their own words:
I believe undoubtedly in one creator, but not because of any revealed scripture or anything. I don’t believe there’s any one word of God out there. I don’t think that there’s one specific revealed religion that’s true.
I do believe in some form of higher power. I just don’t know if it is the God described in the books of faith. I’m not sure what it is, but I do believe in it and believe in the power of petitioning it and prayer and a spiritual practice of self-reflection, meditation, and allowing the universe to move through you.
I believe in a higher power or God in the Buddhist sense where everything is God. Like, the entire world and us and everything in it is one thing and we are all God.
Many “Nones” describe their beliefs as a work in progress. Like Simon quoted above, Camila, 23, identifies as “spiritual but not religious.” She describes her spiritual journey as something that “ebbs and it flows” over time. Armani, 18, tells us her Muslim mother and Baptist father encouraged her to discern her religious beliefs for herself. Upon learning that “all of these books and religions were created by man to teach lessons” such as “be kind to your neighbor,” Armani concluded that “all religions center around the same values.” At the same time, she acknowledges that her conclusion is provisional: “So, that’s where I came to right now. Maybe I’ll change in a couple weeks.”
Many “Nones” engage in religious or spiritual practices
More than belief, many religious “Nones” also engage in religious or spiritual practices. Despite their non-affiliation, 61% of “Nones” practice meditation, 51% pray, and 31% study sacred texts. Young “Nones” describe what this looks like for them:
When something’s going on in my life, sometimes you just need someone to talk to, right? So, I pray to a god, I don’t know who it is, and I always say, “Hey, I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing up there, but if you’re listening, I got something to say.”
I like to burn incense on a nightly basis just to cleanse my room, my body, and stuff like that. And I pray whenever I feel like it. I light a candle for some of my deceased family members, you know, to pray for them and wish them well. And then I just pray for protection to be able to do well—have success in my academic and professional endeavors—but also just to express my love to God, to the angels, and stuff like that. Just being sure that, you know, my prayer is just filled with empathy, love, and compassion.
Some “Nones” also attend religious services. More than a quarter (28%) report attending rarely, such as for a religious holiday or with loved ones, while 17% attend at least a few times per year.
I was raised Catholic, confirmed, but now [I’m] agnostic. I go to church for Christmas with my family because I think it’s fun to go for Christmas ‘cause everyone’s singing the songs and I think it’s good to be respectful to my parents who have supported me.
Even though I am agnostic, I have read the Bible through multiple times. As a young child, I was very interested by religion and studied it a lot. And now as an adult, my girlfriend is full Catholic and so I go to Mass every single week with her. I actually help out as a minister of hospitality at my local church and have filled in as a youth group leader and all these things. But I still identify as agnostic.
Some “Nones” feel jaded by religion; others express curiosity
While most young religious “Nones” have never been part of a religious community (55%), others were raised within a religious tradition and disaffiliated as they grew older (37%). Their childhood experiences with religion, whether positive or negative, often set the stage for their current outlook. Allison, 22, describes growing up in what she calls a “high demand Christian religion.” Now agnostic, she finds herself questioning the core teachings she once took for granted.
I don’t know how to know if Jesus and the Bible are real because I’ve never had that as its own entity. I don’t know if I believe Jesus was a Messiah or if I just think that what he taught was good things, ‘cause I was raised with good morals. I’m like, “Was he a dude that just knew what was up and is a historical figure? Or was he actually the savior?” I don’t know.
For some, specific experiences caused a break with their religious community:
I grew up Baptist and I grew up in a Black church. We sing our little hymns, we live our good life, and it’s very fun and catchy. And then I came out of the closet and my father took me to this church where he had said like, “Oh, being gay is a sin, you’re going to hell.” And then my grandmother had said similar things. And I was just like, “I’m not sure if this is where I wanna put my flag down. I’m not sure if this is what I wanna be.” So, I spent a long time just being like, “Oh, I believe something exists, but I don’t know what it is.”
I was religious until I came to college. My denomination made it a confessional stance that same-sex marriage is not okay. I was pretty hurt by that. I didn’t go back to church right away. I think taking that step away kind of opened my eyes to a lot of the bigotry and hypocrisy within the church that I hadn’t seen before. I didn’t like the way the church will talk big, like, “Love your neighbor, and everyone has important gifts, and God can do miracles, and God works through so many people,” but be like, “I don’t really want a woman pastor.”
Other young people are generally distrusting of religion. Close to half of young “Nones” (46%) say they trust organized religion “not at all” and another 23% say they trust it only “a bit.”
Not all reflections from “Nones” on their religious upbringing are negative. Some “Nones” speak fondly of the community gatherings, practices, holidays, and other aspects of their experiences, even as they choose a different path now. Young people describe taking lessons and values from their upbringing while leaving behind the parts that no longer resonate:
I still really appreciate, like, the Bible as its own thing instead of the “end-all-be-all-word.” I think it’s a really good book with a lot of great, like, points and life lessons and stories. The Ten Commandments are all really good life lessons and values that anybody could benefit from living by and utilizing.
I believe in Jesus and all of the church things. All of those things I was raised with, and those beliefs that I was raised with, have impacted the values that I have today. But I don’t need to go to church to be a good person and I don’t need to go to church to love other people.
Some “Nones” did not inherit a religious tradition from their parents but express curiosity about or openness to religion.
I like learning about different religions and the different ideas of it. Like having so many different gods. I like how people can have like that kind of like moral compass that helps ‘em out.
I read a lot of Christian thought, [though] I was raised by atheist parents. Both of them are atheists. But I had a Protestant phase in my life because a lot of my friends were Protestant. I was going to a reform church with my friend and his family for senior year and junior year. It was just like sort of an anthropological thing—religion is interesting to me.
I’ve learned to understand and appreciate better why people believe in religion and why they practice religion, because there is a lot of community and comfort that can be found in it. And I have started to better understand why people go to church every week and pray and things like that. It’s kind of opened my mind a little bit to the idea of there being a higher power and stuff like that.
Conclusion: “Nones” as skeptics and seekers
While some Gen Z and Gen Alpha religious “Nones” have firmly left religion behind, others were never affiliated in the first place. Some don’t believe in the existence of a higher power and others express undoubting belief in God, gods, or another divine source. Some engage in spiritual practices or seek wisdom in different religious traditions. And while many young “Nones” are skeptical, many are also seekers, yearning to better understand the nature of faith, doubt, and meaning. Their stories caution against treating “Nones” monolithically and remind us that spirituality is not disappearing but rather taking on new and diverse forms.
Note: The survey and interview data featured in this Data Drop come from Springtide Research Institute’s 2024 Study of Young People and Civic Life. Springtide surveyed a sample of 6,669 young people in the US, ages 13–25, and interviewed an additional 76 in depth. “Nones” made up 32% of the survey sample (n=2,039) and 37% of the interview sample (n=28). See survey responses in the topline survey results and review methodology here.
