US Young Men Now More Likely Than Women to Value Religion, Gallup Data Shows
In a notable reversal of long-standing trends, young men in the United States have surpassed young women in reporting that religion holds significant importance in their lives, according to the latest findings from Gallup. The survey, covering the period from 2024 to 2025, reveals that 42% of men aged 18 to 29 describe religion as very important to them, a substantial increase from 28% in the 2022-23 measurement. In contrast, young women's responses have remained largely stable over the same timeframe, hovering around 30%.
Historical Context and Demographic Shifts
This shift marks a departure from earlier data, where young men and women were essentially tied on this indicator of religiosity. The rise among younger men is particularly striking, as it has propelled their reported importance of religion back to levels not seen in approximately 25 years, nearly matching the 43% recorded in 2000-01. Meanwhile, women across all age brackets, along with older men, are at or near their lowest levels on record, highlighting a growing divergence in religious engagement.
The pattern is exclusive to the 18-29 age group. For individuals aged 30 and older, women continue to report higher levels of religiosity than men, maintaining traditional gender dynamics. Young men's views on religion now closely align with those of men aged 30–49 and are only slightly below those of older men. Conversely, young women have become the least religious group among women overall, with only 29% stating religion is very important, placing them 18 points behind women aged 30-49 and less than half as likely as senior women to express strong religious importance.
Increased Church Attendance Among Young Men
Religious participation has also seen a notable 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 by three points to 39%, though 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, suggesting a broader decline in religious engagement outside the younger demographic.
The study notes a noticeable dip in church attendance in 2020, largely attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic, which also contributed to the closure of many churches across the country. This disruption appears to have had a lasting impact, with recovery patterns varying by age and gender.
Political Affiliations and Underlying Factors
Gallup's analysis also 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. 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, indicating potential political influences on religious behavior.
One likely factor behind the growing interest in religion among young men is increasing feelings of loneliness, exacerbated by the global pandemic. During pivotal years of social development, children and teens were forced to switch to remote learning, which may have intensified isolation. Experts point to a significant drop in close relationships reported by men, with studies suggesting 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 findings are drawn from combined Gallup data collected every two years from 2000-01 through 2024-25, providing a comprehensive view of evolving religious trends in the United States.
