A recent poll has found evidence of high levels of religion commitment amongst young religious people within the UK.
The Whitestone poll was commissioned by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) and surveyed 2,064 UK adults on their attitudes to faith.
Religious young people aged 18 to 24 were more likely than religious over-65s to say that their faith significantly impacts their life (69% vs 51%).
Nearly three quarters (72%) of non secular young people said their faith was the one true religion, in comparison with around a 3rd (35%) of non secular over-65s.
Over three quarters (78%) of non secular children said faith shaped their moral values, falling to simply over two thirds (68%) amongst religious over-65s.
Young religious Brits were also more prone to have friends with faiths or beliefs different to their very own (76% vs 53%), they usually were also more open to changing their minds about faith in comparison with older generations (45% vs 22%).
Charlotte Littlewood, senior research associate for IIFL, said the outcomes pointed to a “youth revival of religion”.
“The results have shown that whilst legally and politically the UK has been on a general course of secularisation, British youth are more believing than those half a century their senior,” she said.
“Faith is seen of upper value, significance and impact to Gen Z compared with previous generations. They are shown to be more in search of of God and are more zealous of their faith being that nearly all of them imagine their faith is the one true religion.”
She added, “Overall we’re seeing what appears to be a youth revival of religion whilst holding onto values of tolerance, perhaps some much needed excellent news in a time when the headlines are full of news of accelerating inter-religious tension.”
Further polling by the IIFL suggested a “crisis of confidence” amongst Christians though, with over a 3rd (38%) preferring not to inform people about their faith, in comparison with 29% of Muslim respondents.
Only around 1 / 4 of Christians (28%) were ‘exclusivist’ (believing their faith to be the one true religion), far lower than Muslims (83%), which the IIFL said indicated “high levels of cultural Christianity amongst this group within the UK”.
Only half of Christians said their faith helped them find purpose in life in comparison with 88% of Muslims, 70% of Hindus and 80% of Buddhists, although amongst ‘exclusivist’ Christians this rose to 87%.
The poll also found declining appreciation for the role of Christianity in British culture, falling from 74% amongst over-65s, to lower than half (46%) amongst 18 to 24 12 months olds.
