Fresh polling data released Thursday reveals a striking shift in religious attitudes among America’s youngest adults, with men aged 18-29 now expressing stronger religious convictions than women in their age group for the first time in a quarter-century.
The latest Gallup survey found that 42% of young men describe religion as very important in their daily lives, representing a substantial jump from the 28% recorded in 2022-2023. Meanwhile, young women’s religious commitment has remained relatively unchanged at approximately 30%.
This development represents a complete reversal from historical patterns documented since 2000, when Gallup began tracking these trends through biennial surveys designed to provide reliable data. Previously, young women consistently demonstrated higher levels of religious devotion than their male peers.
Decades earlier, the gap between young women and men regarding religious importance was even more pronounced, with women showing much stronger faith commitments. The recent surge in male religiosity stands in sharp contrast to older demographics, where minimal changes occurred between 2022-2023 among both men and women over 30.
The polling data indicates this gender reversal exists exclusively among adults under 30. For Americans aged 30 and above, women continue to demonstrate greater religious attachment than men.
Political affiliation appears to drive much of this transformation. Since 2022-2023, young Republicans of both genders have shown increased religious participation compared to their Democratic counterparts. Weekly attendance at churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples among young Republican men has climbed steadily since 2019, while young Democratic men’s participation has generally declined.
Young women show similar political divisions regarding faith. Currently, roughly 25% of Democratic women under 30 attend religious services at least monthly, while approximately 60% of young Republican women maintain regular attendance.
Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Washington University in St. Louis who specializes in religious research and serves as a longtime American Baptist Church pastor, described the gender gap reversal among Generation Z as representing “a seismic change in society and the future of the church.”
“It could change the way children are raised,” Burge explained, noting potential impacts on America’s religious future if more fathers emphasize faith in child-rearing.
According to Burge, young men find religion appealing because it offers acceptance in an environment where other institutions are “less interested in white men compared to women and people of color.”
“It’s the only place where you don’t have to apologize for being a white man,” Burge stated. “American religion is very white male dominated and young men are drawn to institutions that elevate them and give them influence and power.”
Additional research suggests young men and women hold differing views on moral issues. Pew Research Center data from March 2025 shows approximately 40% of men under 30 consider divorce morally wrong, compared to only 20% of young women. About half of young men view abortion as morally wrong, while only one-third of women share this perspective. Young men also more frequently consider homosexuality morally wrong, though both groups hold this view less than older generations.
While young men uniquely oppose divorce morally—only 20% of adults under 65 share this view—young women are less likely than other demographic groups to see abortion as morally problematic.
Separate Gallup research shows young women increasingly identify as politically liberal compared to previous generations. This political shift coincides with growing female skepticism toward organized religion, Burge observed.
“Women are viewing religion as patriarchal,” he noted. “Abortion is illegal in many states because of Christianity and young women tend to be progressive on issues such as abortion and LGBTQ rights. It feels repressive to them.”
However, some young women continue embracing traditional faith structures. Rabbi Nicole Guzik, who serves alongside her husband Erez Sherman as co-senior rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, leads a Conservative Judaism congregation of 5,000 members that has experienced steady, significant growth since the pandemic and Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Guzik reports no gender disparities in religiosity or attendance at her temple, but welcomes increased religious interest because “faith has a role to play in shaping people’s identities, especially in an increasingly dark and polarized world.”
“It’s about being in a place of belonging and inspiration,” she said. “People are seeking something right now. There’s a crisis of loneliness and mental health. Social media and AI are not helping. I’m glad that religious institutions are able to provide some semblance of light in these times.”
Frank Newport, Gallup’s senior scientist who has studied religious gender gaps for decades, highlighted that church attendance rates remain roughly equal between genders as another significant finding.
“One of the dominant trends we’ve observed in recent years has been a decline in religiosity among Americans,” Newport explained. “Now, in young people, we’re seeing that decline beginning to stop. That’s pretty significant.”
The survey data reveals that while age doesn’t significantly impact male church attendance patterns, young women attend services much less frequently than older women, with monthly attendance rates showing substantial generational differences.
Gallup compiled these findings from two-year averages of monthly telephone surveys conducted among approximately 1,000 American adults. The 2024-2025 religious importance data encompasses 4,015 adults, including 295 men and 145 women aged 18-29. The margin of error stands at plus or minus 7 percentage points for young men and plus or minus 10 percentage points for young women.
