Atheism Doubles Among Generation Z

Firstly, apologies for my absence. Technical difficulties have prohibited me from posting. Hey ho.

Secondly, this will probably not be news for many of you as it has done the rounds, but for those who may have missed it...

Generation Z, born between 1999 and 2015 and arguably “post-Christian”, is embracing atheism at increased rates. As Barna reports:

The percentage of teens who identify as such is double that of the general population (13% vs. 6% of all adults). The proportion that identifies as Christian likewise drops from generation to generation. Three out of four Boomers are Protestant or Catholic Christians (75%), while just three in five 13- to 18-year-olds say they are some kind of Christian (59%).

So what has led to this precipitous falling off? Barna asked non-Christians of all ages about their biggest barriers to faith. Gen Z nonbelievers have much in common with their older counterparts in this regard, but a few differences stand out. Teens, along with young adults, are more likely than older Americans to say the problem of evil and suffering is a deal breaker for them. It appears that today’s youth, like so many throughout history, struggle to find a compelling argument for the existence of both evil and a good and loving God.

They appear to have an interesting epistemological stance:

More than one-third of Gen Z (37%) believes it is not possible to know for sure if God is real, compared to 32 percent of all adults. On the other side of the coin, teens who do believe one can know God exists are less likely than adults to say they are very convinced that is true (54% vs. 64% all adults who believe in God). For many teens, truth seems relative at best and, at worst, altogether unknowable.

As far as atheism, in general, is concerned, this continued trend in the US for the younger generations to spurn religion in higher numbers points to a general zeitgeist. It will be interesting to see if it continues at such a pace.