United Kingdom

Gen Z’s in their teens or in their twenties are far less likely to be atheists than their parents and grandparents, with many more identifying as “spiritual”, a new study has revealed.

The research counters assumptions that spirituality is on the decline and in fact implies God is “making a comeback”, with the younger generation the least likely to call themselves atheists, while middle-aged Generation X proving the most.

The survey of 10,000 people found only 13 per cent of under 25s identified as atheists, whereas 62 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds said they are “very” or “fairly” spiritual.

Comparatively, the poll conducted by OnePoll showed as many as a quarter of those aged between 45 and 60 called themselves an atheist.

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Christopher Gasson, who commissioned the research, called the results “gobsmacking” and told The Times they imply that God is “making a comeback” in the UK.

But Mr Gasson, who is the author of The Devil’s Gospels: Finding God in Four Great Atheist Books, did add: “I imagine many church leaders will be rubbing their hands thinking this is the answer to their prayers but unfortunately for them, it isn’t... Whatever the survey might say about young people being more spiritual and religious than old people, it is equally clear that they are put off by established religion.”

Gen Z’s responses to how they “feed” their sense of the spiritual included “enjoying nature” and “mindfulness”, not “participating in religious practices”.

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According to a report last week, Gen Z are in fact more likely to be interested in astrology, with social media platforms such as TikTok seeing a boom in astrology-based feeds. Co-Star, an American app combining Nasa data and content from astrologers, rocketed from 7.5 million global users in 2020 to 30 million in 2023, while spending on astrology-related products is projected to grow to $22.8bn by 2031, up from $12.8bn in 2021.