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New study reveals that young people crave spiritual mentoring

Christian Post (CP) reports that although the majority of Gen Z is not engaged in Scriptural study and has a distrustful relationship with religious institutions, they are eager for trusted adults, including religious leaders, to invest in their lives.

 

“The State of Religion & Young People 2020,” a new study by the Springtide Research Institute, collected data from over ten thousand surveys and over 150 interviews with young people ages 13–25. It found that Gen Z is largely not engaged in Scriptural study, with just twelve per cent saying they’re attending gatherings for this purpose.

Additionally, nearly forty per cent describe themselves as religiously “unaffiliated,” whether agnostic, atheist, or nothing in particular. Interestingly, the study shows sixty per cent of surveyed young people who are not involved with organised religion describe themselves as “spiritual,” and nineteen per cent indicate they attend religious gatherings at least once a month.

Today’s young people are also the “loneliest of any generation,” the study found, with sixty per cent saying they feel “very isolated.” The study notes this phenomenon is likely exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced young people to socialise, learn, and engage with one another virtually. 

Young people crave “relational authority,” the study found. Seventy-nine per cent of respondents agreed with the statement, “I am more likely to listen to adults in my life if I know that they care about me,” and 87% of young people said they trust adults who take time to foster relationships.

Source and image: christianpost.com

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