Gen-Z: believe it or not?

What do Gen-Z believe?

A recent report published by King’s College London, ‘Belief, faith and religion: shifting attitudes in the UK’, paints a broad picture of Gen-Z’s views towards questions of religious belief, and examines how they compare to other sections of the British population.

The survey collected data on topics ranging from belief in God and belief in life after death, to religious tolerance and trust, and religious attendance and worship.

Professor David Voas, Professor of Social Science at University College London and Director of British Religion in Numbers, unpacked the report and discussed how Gen-Z fits into the data.

One of the more surprising findings of the survey regarded Gen-Z’s belief in life after death; at 51 per cent, it is considerably higher than that of older generations. It is also a much higher figure than the 37 per cent who say that they believe in God. For Professor Voas however, this is not as surprising as it seems.

He said: “Conventional religious belief seems to have declined markedly in recent decades, whereas unorthodox, unconventional, or alternative spirituality, or whatever you want to call it, has held up.”

This decline in conventional religious belief is evident in the data showing the decline in religiosity and the attendance of religious services; only 11 per cent of people in the UK say they attend religious services weekly.

Considering what religious institutions and communities can learn from the data, Professor Voas pointed to the pivotal role of the younger generation.

He said: “One of the points that I’ve tried to make to religious leaders for some time is that the decline of religion is not about people in adulthood in their thirties and forties suddenly waking up one morning and saying, 'You know what, I don’t feel like going to church', or 'I don’t believe anymore', and so they leave.

“The reason we see religious decline is because there is a process of generational replacement - all the more religious people in the population are dying out, and they are replaced by younger people emerging into adulthood who tend to be less religious.

“There’s a process of religious transmission or a socialisation that is not working.

"The key period is roughly between the ages of 12-25. If you want to reverse the trend, the really critical task is to retain young people, because if you don’t do that, the prospects are really very poor.”

A further surprising finding of the survey was the slight rebound in confidence in churches and religious organisations, rising from 31 per cent to 42 per cent. There is speculation that this is due to the positive perception of the social and charitable activities of churches in their local communities both during and after the pandemic. Professor Voas remains wary however, pointing to the findings of the European Values Study he led in 2018.

He said: “Confidence in churches and other religious organisations was at an extraordinarily low level. It basically rivalled Parliament in terms of what people thought of them, which was not very much."

Finally, pointing to the limitations of such a survey, Professor Voas explained that a ‘yes/no’ question such as ‘do you believe in God?’ does not always portray the many nuances and facets of belief.

Instead, he proposes further questions on the following four factors: the substance of belief - what is one’s image of God, the salience of belief - what is the importance of God in one's life, the strength of the belief - how committed is one to the belief, and finally, the stability of the belief - how does it last over time.

He said: “In an ideal world we would try to capture something under all four of those headings, and not just reduce things to a binary.”

While the data provides a helpful indication of the direction of travel, Professor Voas makes a pertinent point: these graphs do not quite capture the nuances of belief, nor do they tell of the challenges and joys faced by faith communities and individuals across the country.

Background Images taken from the ‘Belief, faith and religion: shifting attitudes in the UK report, published May 2023

Faith at University

Imaan, 22, has just finished her final year exams for her English literature degree. She’s speaking to me over Zoom from her room, where I can see in the background stacks of books and colourful decorations covering up the drab walls of the student accommodation. It’s home for just a few more weeks.

We joke about the uncertainty surrounding her graduation due to the strikes and marking boycott - like many students up and down the country, her cohort has been left frustrated and in limbo.

But even if the degree certificate remains elusive, I wonder, what memories and lessons will she take with her as leaves? And how does her experience as a Muslim student, actively involved in the life of the University's Islamic Society, fit into these?

The term ‘religious identity’ is a good starting point. Is this a helpful term to use, or does it run the risk of giving a simplified label to a more complex matter?

She said: "For me it’s not as clear-cut as 'this is my religious identity', 'this is my identity', 'this is my personality'.

"I would say that my religious identity is my identity in many ways.

"It’s a different type of categorisation; it’s the one identity in which you define yourself not in relation to other people, but in relation to your Creator, which is very powerful.”

She mentions the Islamic notion of 'taqwa' – sometimes translated as God-consciousness – the idea of being in a state of remembrance of God. And not just while praying, or while fasting in Ramadan, but also in one’s daily activities; eating, sleeping, cleaning your room, studying for exams. She ventures that this understanding of Islam as a way of life (a notion expressed through the term 'deen'), as opposed to an ideological set of rules, would give way to a more holistic way of understanding religious identity.

It’s a holistic understanding which she admits to have found at times lacking among her Gen-Z peers. While she notes that there is an increased respect for visual differences and minority groups, she shares that conversations can sometimes be reactionary, and especially so when there are ideological issues or issues which overlap with politics at play. She wonders how the use of social media by Gen-Z is affecting this, pointing for example to short-form video content on TikTok.

She said: “It’s very difficult to distil complex issues or your understanding of religion into these bite-sized video chunks, and yet this is where people get their information from.

"It’s good in that it can make information about religion accessible, yet there is a great danger in losing a lot of the nuance.”

While talking about social media, she also mentions the recent phenomenon of ‘TikTok scholars’ who are not traditionally qualified to teach yet use their platform to speak to millions. She voices a concern that people are losing a certain level of religious literacy as a result.

Her own experience at University however was the opposite: she found herself coming into contact with a rich tradition and community of Islamic scholarship. While the term ‘scholars’ in the English language perhaps seems highly intellectual or academic, she stressed that these are 'deeply spiritual people whose knowledge is vast'.

The community of Muslim students at the University’s Islamic Society is also something she holds very dear; friends she’s spent the past Ramadans with, cycled back from the Mosque late at night with, and with whom she’s shared the many mundane ups and downs of student life. Coming from a Secondary School where she was the only Muslim pupil in her year, she describes it as a 'beautiful surprise'.

She noted: “University was the first place I went to where I felt so aligned with the people around me”.

Reflecting on the future, she speaks of the growth of the Islamic Society, and recent pushes to have more provisions for Muslim students, be it prayer rooms in central locations, or access to Muslim Chaplains. She is interested to see how the University, a traditionally secular institution – but as she points out, one with a deeply-ingrained Christian tradition and history, will grapple with religious diversity.

She said: “Will it be a case of the University just saying that they tolerate and accept all religions, or will there be a more practical way of supporting religious students?”.

It’s an important question, and as she closes her laptop to continue enjoying her final few weeks of student life, I reflect that it’s not one that she will see the answer to.

It’s one for her younger friends, be they Gen-Z or Gen-Alpha, to find the answer to, as they prepare to step into the community she is so deeply grateful for, and which she now leaves behind.

Gen-Z and the Catholic Church

Niamh, 23, is a recent graduate and is working from home on the day we speak. And for that matter, on most other days too, joining the swathes of Gen-Z who have only ever known the hybrid or WFH model.

She was involved in student chaplaincy life and now attends her local vibrant Roman Catholic parish community in the suburbs of London. She mentions that she is busy organising an upcoming parish BBQ and Funday - there are lots of young people and young families in the parish, who are 'at the very heart of the community'.

With this in mind then, what does she make of the narratives surrounding Gen-Z and faith, and the decline of the Church?

She said: “There feels like a partial disconnect between the rhetoric that Gen-Z are a ‘godless generation’ and my own experience which would say that young people especially are searching for meaning.

"I don’t think that’s unique to our generation; it’s a universal human experience. It just looks different because we’re living in a digital age.

"It’s also an age of insecurity; it’s really hard to find a time and space where you can be vulnerable and ask those big questions.”

It’s almost impossible to discuss Gen-Z without mentioning ‘the digital age’, and indeed the relationship between social media and religion seems fraught; bitter Twitter disputes and the spread of misinformation about religion spring to mind.

Yet looking back on her teenage years when Instagram (launched in October 2010) was snowballing in popularity, Niamh remembers finding a reassuring sense of community there.

She began to see posts from young Catholic women, many of whom lived abroad, who were openly and confidently sharing about their faith online.

At a time when she recalls feeling a little unsure of herself, and wondering how being Catholic and a teenager in contemporary culture could be compatible, to have some visible role-models, albeit online, was an encouragement.

She also points to the many online ministries, and speaks anecdotally of friends who have come into contact with religion outside of any existing relationship with the Church through these.

First Background Image: Fisher House, Cambridge University Catholic Chaplaincy. Credit: Anna Whitehead

A View from the Top

Giving the closing keynote at the Religion and Media Festival on 12 June 2023, Archbishop Justin Welby spoke candidly about the current opportunities and challenges facing the Church of England.

He fielded questions put to him by Julie Etchingham, newsreader at ITV News, and from the audience, on topics ranging from the current tensions within the Anglican communion on LGBTQ+ issues, to the role of religion in the contemporary British political landscape.

As he looked back on what has been a turbulent ten years in his role, he voiced his sadness at seeing the decline in church attendance and some of the thorny issues which have come to the fore during his decade of leadership.

The Archbishop spoke cheerfully however about his role in the Coronation, progress made towards sustainability - the Church of England is aiming to reach net zero carbon by 2030 - and the fact that last year, the Church of England actually opened more churches than it closed.

But what to the future, what about the survival of the Church of England?

Will the faithful members of Gen-Z be enough to see it through?

The Archbishop paused for a moment as he reflected on the direction of the Church he stands at the helm of.

For the sea of journalists eager for a soundbite, the Archbishop had one line.

He said: “In the end, it depends on God.”

Image Credit: Anna Whitehead, Religion Media Festival, 12 June 2023