“A quiet revival!” That’s how researchers are describing the dramatic return of believers to the church and the increasing zeal for a deeper relationship with God in the United Kingdom.10
According to new research released by the Bible Society earlier this month, there is a reversal of previous findings that Christianity is declining in Britain. Instead, researchers have found that engagement with church is increasing, particularly amongst Gen Z (ages 18-24).
Over 13,000 people were surveyed on church involvement. Data was compared to a near-identical study of a similar sample group in 2018. Based on the findings, church attendance between 2018 and 2024 increased by 56%. Most notably, attendance among Gen Z has quadrupled, from 4% to 16%.
What’s more startling is that in the previous survey, the largest churchgoing demographic was the over-65s. Now, a similar number of young adults are attending church as pensioners were in 2018. The number of young men joining churches now outstrips the number of young women joining churches. Previously, young men had been the social group least likely to engage with church.
“These trends that we’re seeing amongst young adults, of feeling lost, anxious, and isolated, for some, is leading them to these quite harmful, toxic spaces that we’ve heard a lot about,” Dr. Rob Barward-Symmons, senior researcher and impact manager at the Bible Society, told Premier Christian News.
“But this research shows that [young people] are seeking that meaning and that healing. They’re finding community in the church, and that’s really drawing them there,” he said.
“Both within and outside the Church, young adults are more spiritually engaged than any other living generation, with Bible reading and belief in God on the rise,” researchers found.
But this trend is not just happening in the UK. In the US, Canada, and other parts of the globe, there has been evidence of a spiritual awakening, especially among youths and young adults. At a time when religious data rarely makes headlines, countless studies in recent times have confirmed that Gen Z is increasingly craving the things of God.
Americans’ engagement with the Bible has also improved, as confirmed by the 2025 State of the Bible report from the American Bible Society and several other studies.