Leader Insights

Young Adults and Church Statistics 2027: Latest 2026 Data and Trends

Are young adults leaving the church, and is Gen Z coming back? The latest sourced figures from Gallup, Pew Research Center, Barna Group, Lifeway Research and Springtide. Every figure links to its original study. Updated October 2026.

Young adults statistics at a glance

StatisticFigureYearSource
Young adults who attended church as teens and dropped out for at least a year66%2026Lifeway Research
How adults 18 to 29 engage with religious services25% weekly, 61% seldom or never2025Gallup
Religious switching among 18 to 24 year olds: left Christianity vs. became Christian26% left, 5% joined2025Pew Research Center
Young adults leaving Christianity for every one who becomes Christian5.2 to 12025Leader Insights
Gen Z churchgoers' attendance, weekends a month (1.6 for all churched adults)1.9 a month2025Barna Group
Young adults who attend church to reconnect with their faith43%2026Barna Group
Young adults who attend to deepen relationships with other Christians24%2026Barna Group
Senior pastors reporting higher engagement among Gen Z45%2026Barna Group
Gen Z Christians who strongly agree in-person relationships are more valuable70%2025Barna Group
Teens and young adults who are religious Nones33%2025Springtide Research Institute
Teens currently part of an organized religious or spiritual community41%2025Springtide Research Institute
American adults who regularly attended a Christian church during childhood71%2024Barna Group

Are young adults leaving the church?

Gen Z and Millennials who do attend

Childhood faith and what keeps people engaged

What young adults say they struggle with

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.

Young adults statistics: common questions

Are young adults leaving the church?

Many are. Among 18 to 24 year olds, 26% left Christianity and 5% became Christian (Pew Research Center, 2025), and 66% of young adults who attended church regularly as teenagers dropped out for at least a year (Lifeway Research, 2026).

What percentage of young adults attend church?

Among adults 18 to 29, 25% attend weekly or nearly weekly, 13% attend monthly and 61% seldom or never attend (Gallup, 2025).

Is Gen Z returning to church?

There are signs of it among churchgoers: Gen Z churchgoers attend 1.9 weekends a month, against 1.6 for all churched adults (Barna Group), and 45% of senior pastors report higher Gen Z engagement (Barna Group, 2026). Across all Gen Z, though, most still seldom or never attend.

Why do young adults go to church?

43% of young adults say reconnecting with their faith is their top personal reason for attending, and 24% say deeper relationships with other Christians (Barna Group via Gloo, 2026).

What do young adults struggle with?

49% report anxiety over important decisions and fear of failing, 39% often feel sad or depressed and 34% often feel lonely and isolated (Barna Group, 2025).

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About this data

Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research. 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. Different studies define the same topic differently, so figures from different sources are not directly comparable; each is labeled with its publisher and year.