Gen Alpha and Religion: What 13-Year-Olds Say
Today’s young people are maturing in a society that has experienced a decades-long decline in religious affiliation. Yet, Springtide data repeatedly show that young people adopt religious and spiritual identities, profess religious and spiritual beliefs, and see the value of religion and spirituality in their lives. Our recent study, Thirteen: A First Look at Gen Alpha, indicates that for today’s 13-year-olds, religion and spirituality are a common part of life. While prior social science shows most young adolescents claim the religious practices of parents or caregivers, these findings reflect that many 13-year-olds think about how religion and spirituality factor into their lives, even if they’re just beginning to do this independently of their parents.
The findings below represent a snapshot in time. In the years to come, we will learn whether the data expressed here represent a temporary sentiment or perhaps something larger about Generation Alpha’s traits or characteristics.
Here are some of the insights we learned from 13-year-olds:
A majority of 13-year-olds claim a religious or spiritual identity. Seventy-four percent of those surveyed identify as at least slightly religious, and 82% say that they are at least slightly spiritual.
A majority of 13-year-olds identify as Christian. When asked, “Which of the following religions, traditions, or worldviews do you most identify with?” 66% of respondents chose “Christian.” Twenty-two percent of 13-year-olds identify as nonreligious (“nothing in particular,” “agnostic,” “spiritual but not religious,” or “atheist”). Of the 66% of 13-year-olds who identify as “Christian,” half identify as “just Christian” while the remainder identify as “Catholic” (28%), “Protestant” (20%), “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (2%), and “Orthodox” (0.4%).
A large majority of 13-year-olds profess personal belief in a higher power. Most (82%) say they believe, including nearly half (49%) who believe without a doubt. Few 13-year-olds say they doubt a higher power’s existence more than they believe (7%) or say they don’t believe at all (5%).
The degree of importance of religion in 13-year-olds’ lives varies. Almost half (46%) believe it’s at least among the most important, while almost 30% say it’s at least among the least important.
More than half of 13-year-olds report attending religious services with some frequency. Thirty percent of those surveyed attend religious services once a week or more.
Note: See question wording and survey responses in the topline survey results and review methodology here.
To learn more, download Thirteen: A First Look at Gen Alpha for free!
