Study: Gen Z is more religious than older groups, defying expectations

Maybe we've got these kids all wrong.

America has been in a steady religious decline, with each generation of adults less faithful than the one before it. Generation Z, it was thought, would continue that pattern, with one study labeling the age group “the least religious generation yet.”

A new Harris Poll survey suggests that may not be the case: The results show younger people are not only more religious than previously believed but more so than any of their elders. Gen Z adults – those aged 18 to 29 – aren’t just embracing religion at higher rates, the survey found, but spiritual practices in general, including meditation, astrology and energy work such as reiki and tai chi.

“This idea that generations would be more secular in the future – this generation is really flipping the script on that,” said Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer for the Harris Poll, a national marketing and analytics firm.

The firm had studied practices such as astrology and manifestation in the U.S. and figured Gen Z would express high interest in spirituality, Rodney said.

“What was shocking was that 33% identified as religious, nearly double the amount of Boomers and the highest of any…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/