Young men are now more likely than young women in the US to say religion plays a major role in their lives, according to the newest findings from Gallup.
Data covering 2024-25 indicates that 42% of men aged 18 to 29 describe religion as very important to them, a significant rise from 28% in 2022-23. In comparison, young women’s responses have remained largely unchanged over the same period, holding at roughly 30%.
In earlier measurements, young men and women were essentially tied on this indicator of religiosity. That balance has now shifted, with young men pulling ahead by a statistically meaningful margin. This increase among younger men stands out, especially since older men and women have shown little movement since 2022-23.
With this recent jump, young men’s reported importance of religion has climbed back to levels not seen in about 25 years, nearly matching the 43% recorded in 2000-01. Women across all age brackets, along with older men, are at or close to their lowest levels on record.
My parents were the Christmas and Easter sort, I think mostly to make me aware of then-predominant social situations. The church we went to was run by Franciscans, so … funny homilies, lots of live music. It was fun as a kid, but I never believed in what they were saying. But hey, being able to stay up for midnight Mass was pretty awesome as a preteen.