People have long believed younger generations are less religious than older ones, and data mostly supported this. But a new Harris Poll challenges that view: 33% of Gen Z respondents identify as religious — that’s more than Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers.
Millennials (32%) most commonly described themselves as spiritual, not religious, with Gen X closely behind at 31%. Most Boomers reported being both religious and spiritual. Gen Z was the least likely generation to identify as neither spiritual nor religious.
The Harris Poll declined to impose formal definitions of “religious” and “spiritual” on respondents.
“In this context, ‘religious’ generally reflects an identity respondents associate with religion, while ‘spiritual’ refers to a broader sense of meaning, transcendence, or personal practice that may or may not be connected to a religious institution or tradition,” Tim Osiecki, director of thought leadership and trends at The Harris Poll, told Straight Arrow. “The distinction is ultimately self-defined by respondents.”
As Gen Z abandons the broad “spiritual” labels favored by Millennials in search of a formal religious identity, they’re also reshaping what modern belief looks like — a sign that this digital-native generation isn’t abandoning belief, but redefining it.
Practicing identity
Identity is one thing, but consistent practice is another, especially with belief systems. According to the poll, Gen Z engaged in both religious and spiritual practices more than other generations on average. Gen Z also reported reading more scripture or religious texts and attending more services. One outlier: Boomers pray more on their own.
For spiritual practices, Millennials and Gen Z are more evenly split: 54% of Millennials practiced meditation or ritual, compared with 51% of Gen Z. Only 40% of Gen X and 30% of Boomers reported participation.
Manifestations, the practice of turning desires into reality through thinking and visualization, saw the most uptake among Gen Z (49%), trailed by Millennials (42%), Gen X (25%) and Boomers (9%).
The gap closes again when it comes to astrology — an old, controversial practice that has fueled first date questions for the better part of a century. The same percentage of Gen Z and Millennials reported practicing astrology or tarot (30%), compared with 19% of Gen X and 6% of Boomers.
Energy work, like Reiki or Chakra balancing, has the most uptake amongst Gen Z (32%), closely followed by Millennials (30%). Then comes the cliff: Uptake steeply drops at Gen X (15%) and again with Boomers (4%).
Overall, 88% of Gen Z adults engage in at least one religious or spiritual practice.
Agency amid uncertainty
Religiosity and spirituality — and attitudes towards them — change by generation. For Gen Z, control of an uncertain future appears to be the key driver.
”What surprised us was not simply that Gen Z is engaging with religion and spirituality, but that they seem to be using those practices as part of a broader effort to build agency in an uncertain world,” Osiecki said in a statement. “They’re learning new skills, reshaping work, pursuing creative projects, building community and turning to spiritual or meaning-making practices as another tool in that process.”
It’s true. Over half of the survey’s Gen Z respondents report learning a new skill, pursuing education, starting creative projects, restructuring work to suit their lifestyle vision and even building side hustles.
Faith and spiritual practices, like manifestation and prayer, are seen as ways to achieve the life these young adults are seeking.
“One broader pattern in the data is that Gen Z is more likely than older generations to describe itself as actively building a future, rather than simply waiting for circumstances to improve,” Osiecki told Straight Arrow.
Finding belonging
Gen Z adults agree that they “want to belong to more real-world, in-person communities.” And 60% said they are actively working to become more involved in in-person communities.
For a generation that spent its formative years in the COVID-19 pandemic, the desire for tangible community has only become more evident, as 71% report reaching out for help or leaning on others in times of need and 57% say they’ve “shown up more for their local community” in the past year.
As instability touches everything from politics and climate to security, Gen Z’s turn toward faith says as much about the world as it does about the generation inheriting it. Whether through scripture, services, meditation or manifestation, they’re not reaching for doctrine, but rather each other and the forces that foster connection.
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