Personal reasons young adults go to church
Percent of U.S. adults ages 18-35 citing each reason, 2025 (in percent)
Key finding
Reconnecting with faith leads; better mental health ties with self-discovery.
- Reconnect with my faith: 43%
- Learn more about myself: 30%
- Improve my mental health: 30%
Source: Barna Group, The Personal Reasons Why Young Adults Go to Church · n=3,049 U.S. adults 18-35, Oct 17-30, 2025, MoE ±1.3. Published Sep 30, 2026.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Reconnecting with faith leads; better mental health ties with self-discovery. Reconnect with my faith: 43%. Learn more about myself: 30%. Improve my mental health: 30%.
Who published this data?
Barna Group, 2025. Source: Barna Group, The Personal Reasons Why Young Adults Go to Church (https://www.barna.com/research/personal-reasons-young-adults-church/).
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More Next Generation statistics
- Childhood faith experiences of those who stayed Protestant vs. left Lifeway Research, 2026
- Churchgoers who say their church is multigenerational Lifeway Research, 2026
- Pastors who say engagement among men ages 18 to 35 has increased Barna Group, 2026
- Pastors who say their church is multigenerational, by church attendance Lifeway Research, 2026
- Pastors who say their church is multigenerational Lifeway Research, 2026
- Senior pastors reporting higher engagement among Gen Z Barna Group, 2026
About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.