Four dimensions of young people’s spiritual and religious lives
Data about belief, identity, community, and purpose define the state of religion and young people today.
In 2025, Springtide Research Institute surveyed 2,977 young people, ages 13–25, from across the United States to learn about four key dimensions of their spiritual and religious lives: belief, identity, practice, and community. Their responses reveal that religion remains important to most young people and that many continue to identify with the religious tradition in which they were raised. While the majority of young people don’t regularly attend worship services, they are still connected in some capacity to religious communities.
Four Key Findings
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The majority of young people say they are religious or spiritual or both.
Almost half (46%) say they are “very” or “moderately” religious, and an additional 27% say they are “slightly” religious. When asked about spirituality, half (50%) say they are “very” or “moderately” spiritual, and 29% say they are “slightly” spiritual.
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About three-quarters of young people claim a religious identity or affiliation.
The remaining quarter are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” “agnostic,” “atheist,” or “none.”
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Young adults attend religious services less often than teens.
Nearly half of teens, ages 13 to 17, attend religious services at least monthly, compared with about one-third of young adults, ages 18 to 25. This pattern also holds true for teens’ and young adults’ involvement in non-religious communities—86% of teens say they are involved in at least one club, team, or group, compared with 67% of young adults.
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Almost 40% of young people are currently part of a religious or spiritual community.
Others have left their communities, while some have never taken part in one.
You can download the full free report, The Four Dimensions of Young People’s Spiritual and Religious Lives, by filling out the form at the top of this page.
