Teenagers and those in their early twenties are half as likely to identify as atheists than their parents, a new poll has shown.
Those aged 18-24 – who are all Gen Z – are the most spiritual age group in the UK, with just 13 percent identifying as atheists.
Another 62 percent describe themselves as ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ spiritual, the research by OnePoll found.
And when asked what the biggest factors in declining Christianity rates in the UK, Gen Z cited the ‘inability to grapple with scandals involving abuse’ as well as generational change.
In contrast middle-aged member of Gen X aged 45-60Â are the most likely to be atheists, with 25 percent saying they do not believe in a god or spirituality.
For Baby Boomers over the age of 65 and Millenials aged 25-44, one in five are atheists at 20 percent.
The poll of a total of 10,000 people was commissioned by Christopher Gasson to mark the publication of his latest book about religion.
The survey questioned 1,039 respondents aged under 25, 1,696 aged 25 to 34, 1,637 aged 35 to 44, 1,667 aged 45 to 54, 1,605 aged 55 to 64. and 2,356 aged over 65.
Those aged 18-24 – who are all Gen Z – are the most spiritual age group in the UK, with just 13 percent identifying as atheists
Surprisingly, of those aged over 65 just 35 percent classed themselves as ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ spiritual.
The same description applied to 36 percent of those aged 55-64 and 52 percent of those aged 35-44.
But the far higher levels of spirituality in young people does not necessarily mean tradition religions such as Christianity, Islam and Hinduism will see a resurgence in the UK.
Instead, many young people describe spirituality for them as being more about wellness and mindfulness.
Other associations include nature, astrology and crystals, rather than participating in religious rituals.
Freya Stewart-Williams, 20, from London, told the Times how despite coming from a Christian family, she didn’t ‘want to believe’ in God – but did feel as if ‘something is out there’.
She worked in a crystals shop in Covent Garden selling gemstones with purported healing, calming or luck-bringing qualities in her teenage years.
‘The main demographic [of customers] was people in their early twenties,’ she said.
But the far higher levels of spirituality in young people does not necessarily mean tradition religions such as Christianity, Islam and Hinduism will see a resurgence in the UK
‘We classed ourselves as a ‘spirituality shop’. With the rise of TikTok and social media, there was a massive trend for it during the first lockdown.
‘I think the openness this generation has when talking about mental health and accepting that we all experience different states of mind has been a massive driver for people being more open to spirituality.’
Of all of those polled, 27 percent identified as atheists, 54 percent Christian, 6 percent Muslim, and 1 percent each from Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jewish backgrounds.
Of the Christian respondents, just 14 percent said they ‘worship regularly and accept the authority of the leaders of my faith’.
The latest census data for England and Wales showed a drop in the number of people who identify as Christian to 46.2 percent.
Although the number of people identifying as Muslim rose very slighting, from 4.8 to 6.5 percent, the vast majority of the drop was a result of those identifying as having ‘no religion’ more than doubling – from 15 percent in 2001 to 37.5 percent in 2021.
