Spirit Research

A Harris survey finds one-third of Gen Z adults chose a religious-only label

A Harris Poll found that 33% of Gen Z adults chose a religious-only label when asked to describe themselves, Fingerlakes1.com reports. The survey offered four distinct choices, including a separate option for people who considered themselves both religious and spiritual.

The religious-only share among Gen Z adults was higher than the 18% recorded for baby boomers, according to Fingerlakes1.com. The result describes a choice made at one point in time; it does not establish that the same people changed their faith over time.

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Harris offered four separate descriptions#

Among Gen Z respondents, 24% selected both religious and spiritual, while another 24% chose spiritual but not religious. The remaining 19% selected neither description, Fingerlakes1.com reports. The 33% figure therefore does not include everyone who selected an option containing the word religious.

Harris conducted the online survey from July 1-4, 2026, among 2,136 U.S. adults, including 372 Gen Z respondents ages 18 to 29, according to Fingerlakes1.com. The study defined millennials as ages 30 to 45, Gen X as 46 to 61 and boomers as 62 and older.

The wording matters when comparing the result with other research, Fingerlakes1.com notes. A chosen description is a different measure from a question about religious affiliation, attendance or belief, so the Harris categories do not directly answer each of those questions.

Pew found differences within young adults#

According to RELEVANT Magazine, a separate Pew Research Center analysis found monthly worship attendance of at least once or twice among 41% of adults ages 18 to 22, versus 27% of those ages 23 to 26. The figure for the U.S. public as a whole was 33%.

RELEVANT Magazine reports that the youngest adults stood out less on measures other than attendance. They prayed less frequently and were less likely to identify with a religion than many older groups.

According to RELEVANT Magazine, Pew's findings for ages 18 to 22 drew on 443 respondents across its 2025 and 2026 surveys; the margin of error was plus or minus 5.7 percentage points. Pew said more years of data are needed to determine whether the youngest adults' pattern marks a lasting change or a temporary fluctuation, Religion Unplugged reports.

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