A third of young people go to church more and pray first
Prayer topped the reasons: 45% chose it, above worshiping with others, at 38%.
Nearly a third of young people go to church more than they did a year ago, according to a Barna survey shared by RELEVANT Magazine. The poll surveyed 3,049 adults ages 18 to 35 in the United States.
34% said they attend more frequently than they did twelve months ago. Another 45% noticed no changes and 21% go less. Barna conducted the study between October 17 and 30, 2025, with a margin of error of 1.3 points, and grouped Gen Z and millennials together.
Prayer, the number one reason
When asked why they go, prayer came out on top: 45% chose it. Worshiping Jesus alongside other people was the second reason, at 38%. Prayer also led by group: 48% among Black and Hispanic young people, 45% among white and 40% among Asian.
«If anything brings people back to church, it is not better production or a more provocative message, but the God who answers.»
Social motives appear further down. 24% said they seek deeper relationships with other Christians, and another 24% go to learn from people who went through the same things.
There is a data point that breaks the map of the last 25 years. In 2025, 43% of young men said they attend every week, compared to 36% of young women: the widest gap in a quarter century. Since 2019, Gen Z and millennial men went from being the least committed to the most committed.
Hispanics, at 36%
Young men and Black young people were the most likely to report an increase, at 41% each. Hispanics came in at 36%. Young women and Asian young people recorded the lowest increases, and the 25 to 35 age group appears among the most likely.
It should be said clearly: this is data from the United States. None of this measures what happens in Mexico, Central America or South America, and the Hispanic group in the study is the one living in that country.
Barna does not call it revival
Daniel Copeland, Barna's vice president of research, warned against reading a single trend in these numbers: "We keep asking whether young people are coming back or drifting away, as if it were a single tide in a single direction" (Sígueme translation). He also questioned the idea that reaching this generation requires something new. For him, many think better production, a more polished program or a provocative message is needed, and the data points the other way.
Barna describes a pattern, not a broad spiritual movement. Brianne Shaw, a Gloo spokesperson, summed it up in the statement: young people are coming to talk with God, alongside their people.
The data point is not a revival, and the report makes that clear. But there is something no statistic explains: that the number one reason for returning is talking with God.
"Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known" (Jeremiah 33:3, ESV).
If anything brings people back to church, it is not better production or a more provocative message, but the God who answers. This week you can test it: set aside ten minutes, put your phone aside and talk to him with confidence. And if you stopped gathering, ask yourself honestly what would bring you back, and write to us: we want to read you.
