US Young Men Surpass Women in Religious Importance, Gallup Survey Reveals
In a striking reversal of long-standing trends, young men in the United States are now more likely than young women to report that religion plays a major role in their lives, according to the latest findings from Gallup. Data spanning 2024-25 indicates that 42% of men aged 18 to 29 describe religion as very important to them, a significant increase from 28% in 2022-23. In contrast, young women's responses have remained largely unchanged over the same period, holding steady at approximately 30%.
Historical Context and Gender Shifts
This shift marks a departure from earlier measurements where young men and women were essentially tied on this indicator of religiosity. The balance has now tilted, with young men pulling ahead by a statistically meaningful margin. Notably, 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. This pattern appears exclusively among those aged 18 to 29. For individuals 30 and older, women still report higher levels of religiosity than men. Young men's views on religion now closely resemble those of men aged 30–49 and are just slightly below those of older men. Conversely, young women now rank as the least religious group of women overall.
Religious Participation and Attendance Trends
Religious participation at church has also seen an uptick among young men. The share reporting attendance at services at least monthly rose by seven percentage points between 2022-23 and 2024-25, reaching 40% – the highest level since 2012-13. Among young women, attendance has edged upward since 2022-2023, increasing by three points to 39%. However, this figure remains well below the higher levels observed in the early 2000s. In contrast, attendance rates among older men and women are currently at or near their lowest points.
There was a noticeable dip in church attendance in 2020, largely attributable to the Covid pandemic, which is also believed to have contributed to the closure of many churches across the country during that time. The study further examined differences by political affiliation. Since 2022-23, attendance has climbed by seven points among young Republican men, eight points among young Republican women, and three points among young Democratic men. Young Democratic women are the only group showing little change.
Factors Driving the Change
Over a longer timeframe, attendance among young Republican men has generally been rising since 2018-19, whereas participation among young Democratic men has tended to decline. One likely factor behind the growing interest in religion among young men is increasing feelings of loneliness, which were greatly exacerbated by the global pandemic. This period saw children and teens forced to switch to remote learning during pivotal years of social development.
Experts have noted a significant drop in how many close relationships men report. In the US, studies suggest that two-thirds of men aged 18 to 23 feel that nobody truly knows them; one-third have not interacted with anyone outside their household in the past week; only about one in five say they have dependable friends; and 69% of young men feel "no one cares if men are OK." These social dynamics may be driving young men toward religious communities for connection and support.
The Gallup conclusions are drawn from combined data collected every two years from 2000-01 through 2024-25, providing a comprehensive view of evolving religious trends in the United States.
