Church and Mental Health Statistics 2027: Latest 2026 Data and Trends

What do surveys say about mental health, loneliness and counseling in and around the church? Sourced figures from Barna Group, Lifeway Research, American Bible Society and Springtide Research Institute, which measure different groups in different years. Every figure links to its original study. Updated October 2026.

Counseling and trauma among U.S. adults

• Share of U.S. adults who have ever seen a counselor 42% · Barna Group, 2023
• What prompted adults to begin counseling Doctor's recommendation 30%, traumatic experience 28%, treatment for a mental illness 25% · Barna Group, 2023
• Americans who have experienced or witnessed trauma 46% · American Bible Society, 2025
• Churchgoing parents who feel supported by their church 73% · American Bible Society, 2026
• Say loneliness is "always" bad, by faith group Practicing Christians 25%, non-Christians 19%, non-practicing Christians 18% · Barna Group, 2020

Loneliness and isolation

• Frequently feel lonely, by generation Gen Z 29%, Boomers 8%, Elders 4% · Barna Group, 2024
• Frequently feel isolated, by generation Gen Z 26%, Gen X 15%, Boomers 8%, Elders 5% · Barna Group, 2024
• Agree their social relationships are supportive and rewarding Ages 13-17 64%, ages 18-21 45%, ages 22-25 46% · Springtide Research Institute, 2025
• Americans who feel lonely even when surrounded by others 56% · Lifeway Research, 2018
• Say loneliness is "always" bad, by faith group Practicing Christians 25%, non-Christians 19%, non-practicing Christians 18% · Barna Group, 2020

Well-being of teens and young adults

• Gen Z who always feel uncertain, anxious or afraid to fail 39% uncertain about the future, 39% anxious about decisions, 38% afraid to fail · Barna Group, 2024
• Gen Z individuals reporting high human flourishing scores 26% · American Bible Society, 2025
• High schoolers not flourishing in their mental health 34% · Springtide Research Institute, 2025
• Gen Alpha teens who have had a mental health problem 27% · Springtide Research Institute, 2025
• Gen Alpha teens with a mental health problem who got treatment 73% · Springtide Research Institute, 2025
• Gen Alpha teens' view of open discussion about mental health 85% good for society, 12% neutral, 3% bad · Springtide Research Institute, 2025
• Young people flourishing a lot in mental and emotional well-being 24% · Springtide Research Institute, 2023

How churches respond to mental health

• Pastors who say churches have a responsibility to support those with mental illness 89% · Lifeway Research, 2022
• Care churches provide for people with mental illness and their families 68% referral list, 40% family plan, 26% training, 26% Celebrate Recovery, 23% seminars, 20% symptom training, 20% community groups, 18% counselor on staff · Lifeway Research, 2022
• Church members known with a severe mental illness diagnosis 54% known at least one member, 34% none, 12% unsure · Lifeway Research, 2022
• How often pastors speak about mental illness to their church 30% several times a year, 26% rarely, 17% about once a year, 11% never, 9% about once a month, 4% several times a month · Lifeway Research, 2022
• Pastors who keep a list of counselors to refer people to 67% (2015), 60% (2021), 52% (2025) · Lifeway Research, 2025
• Churches with a lay counseling ministry 34% (2015), 28% (2021), 27% (2025) · Lifeway Research, 2025
• Pastors who refer someone for counseling after a couple of visits 76% (2015), 77% (2021), 72% (2025) · Lifeway Research, 2025
• How equipped Protestant pastors feel to help congregants dealing with trauma 73% somewhat equipped, 15% very well equipped, 12% not equipped at all · Barna Group, 2023

Pastors' mental health beyond burnout

• Pastors who feel isolated in their personal struggles 34% · Lifeway Research, 2026
• Pastors who report feelings of loneliness and isolation 65% · Barna Group, 2025
• How often clergy say they feel lonely 37% frequently lonely, 21% sometimes, 28% rarely · Lifeway Research, 2024
• Pastors' personal experience with mental illness 74% never dealt with mental illness, 17% diagnosed, 9% experienced but never diagnosed · Lifeway Research, 2022
• Needs and challenges pastors report around friendship 69% need time for friendships, 64% need time with other pastors, 28% name loneliness as a most significant challenge · Lifeway Research, 2024
• Pastors who feel supported by other local pastors 82% · Lifeway Research, 2024

Looking ahead to 2027: what the latest data points to

No 2027 statistics have been published yet. Here is what the newest readings suggest. We update this page as new research arrives.

• Counseling is common among U.S. adults. Barna Group found in 2023 that 42% of adults have seen a counselor at some point, and the most common prompt was a doctor's recommendation (30%), followed by a traumatic experience (28%). Separately, American Bible Society's 2025 State of the Bible found 46% of Americans have experienced or witnessed some kind of trauma. See the data.
• Loneliness is reported most often by the youngest adults. In Barna Group's 2024 data, 29% of Gen Z adults say they frequently feel lonely, compared with 8% of Boomers and 4% of Elders. This describes how feelings differ by generation, not why. See the data.
• Many pastors say churches should help, but fewer have structures in place. 89% of Protestant pastors told Lifeway Research in 2022 that churches have a responsibility to support people with mental illness, and in a 2025 Lifeway Research survey of evangelical and Black Protestant pastors, 52% keep a list of counselors to refer to and 27% have a lay counseling ministry. These are different survey populations. See the data.