A new survey has given greater insight into the reasons why young people in the US go to church, with the desire to reconnect with their faith unsurprisingly getting the top spot.
The research, conducted by Barna, found that 43 per cent of young adults attended church in order to reconnect with their faith.
The joint second most commonly cited reasons, at 30 per cent each, were the desire to know oneself better and to improve their mental health.
Just over a quarter of young adults (26 per cent) said they went to church to get support for their current life challenges, while a quarter said they wanted to discover their spiritual gifts and be part of something bigger than themselves.
Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) said the desire to use their spiritual gifts motivated them to go to church, while 12 per cent said going to church was motivated by a desire to engage in politics.
Many churchgoers gave multiple reasons for attending church, but still a significant portion (25 per cent) said their decision was not motivated by any of the reasons outlined above.
The research also found a gender divide, with young men more likely to say they were going to church for political reasons. Young women meanwhile were more likely to say they went in order to reconnect with their faith, to improve their mental health, and get personal support.
A racial divide was also observed in the research, with young black churchgoers more likely than other ethnic groups to say they were going to discover and use their spiritual gifts, to be part of something bigger than themselves, to learn about themselves, and gain personal support.
In an article exploring the data, Barna said, “The personal reasons young adults give for attending church point primarily to a generation looking to reconnect with their faith - a distinction that, according to the data, rings true across nearly every subgroup of churchgoing young adults.
“The fact that young adults want to explore their faith and integrate it more holistically into their lives points to a generation that prioritizes well-being and mental health.
"Combined with their spiritual and social reasons for coming to church, the picture across all three parts of this series is consistent: young adults are already showing up, and they are looking for more once they’re there.”
