By Catherine Pepinster
Generation Z is leading a turnaround in the popularity of Christianity and a rise in church attendance in England and Wales, according to research published today.
A survey by the Bible Society and YouGov finds those aged 18-34, which includes Gen Z and Millennials, are newly drawn to Christian beliefs, with renewed interest not only in being part of a church but also in prayer, reading the Bible and social activism based on faith.
After years of declining congregations, the most dramatic increase in churchgoing, according to the research, is among young men. The image of churches being filled by elderly women and few others is no longer true, the society says.
Dr Rhiannon McAleer, the report’s co-author and Bible Society’s director of research, said: “We are seeing something we have never seen before.
“The results are pointing to community being the key. We are looking at young adults coming along with friends. They are not totally unchurched; sometimes grandparents have had an impact on their faith.”
The survey, The Quiet Revival, was conducted by YouGov among 13,146 people in England and Wales, and is an update on the Bible Society’s previous research conducted in 2018. It shows that in 2024, 5.8 million people were attending church at least once a month — 12 per cent of the population — compared with 3.7 million, or 8 per cent in 2018.
The most significant upturn was among the 18-24s (Gen Z) with 16 per cent of them attending church at least once a month; six years earlier, only 4 per cent did so.
Young men showed a marked increase in churchgoing, with 21 per cent in 2024, up from 4 per cent in 2018; young women’s attendance rose up to 12 per cent in 2024, from 3 per cent in 2018.
This revival is most evident in Catholicism and Pentecostalism, although the survey reveals a noticeable decline in popularity for the Church of England. Of those in the older Millennials category, 35 per cent say they are Catholic, 11 per cent are Pentecostal and 25 per cent identify as Anglican.
Dr Rob Barward-Symmons, co-author of the report, said that “The decline of Christianity is no longer inevitable. These people are also making a difference to their communities. We are seeing churchgoers living out their faith: they volunteer, they write to their MPs, they are engaged locally.”
According to the report, “Christianity increasingly involves an active commitment rather than a passive cultural label.”
The research shows that the church in England and Wales is becoming more ethnically diverse among the wider age group of 18-54. The proportion has risen from one in five churchgoers from an ethnic minority in 2018, to one in three in 2024.
However, there is also a rise in white attendance, especially among young men, with 18 per cent of 18 to 34-year-old white men attending church monthly, compared with 3 per cent in 2018.
The increase in ethnic minorities may in part explain the growth in Roman Catholic and Pentecostalist churches, as many migrants from countries such as Poland, Ukraine and South America are Catholic and significant numbers of Africans belong to Pentecostalist churches.
In 2018, the YouGov research for the Bible Society showed that Anglicans made up 41 per cent of churchgoers, but this dropped to 34 per cent in 2024. Meanwhile Catholic chuch goer numnbers rose from 23 per cent in 2018 to 31 per cent in 2024; and Pentecostalists rose from 4 to 10 per cent in the same period.
The figures showed far more notable changes among the 18-34 age group, where Anglican churchgoers declined from 30 to 20 per cent; with 41 per cent of this group identifying as Catholic and 18 per cent Pentecostal.
According to the research, the shift that is behind the figures is occurring between nominal and active religious identity. The idea that young people are Christian by default is rapidly declining. Those who are nominal Christians are being replaced by those who say they have “no religion”.
According to Dr McAleer: “Our report does not challenge the well-established fact that fewer people in England and Wales are choosing to identify as Christian.”
But it shows a significant change in the number of young people who are active Christians, with the Bible Society concluding that young people are longing for community and for meaning in their lives. It shows that 80 per cent of churchgoing young people see their life as meaningful, compared with just 52 per cent of non-churchgoers.
“Full-fat Christianity is back,” says Professor Paul Williams, chief executive of Bible Society. “Anecdotally, we are finding young people reporting Jesus appearing in their dreams. We have never heard of this before.”
“The Quiet Revival” report is on the Bible Society website here
