Young adults' church attendance motivated by inward growth, study shows

New research shows more than two in five young adults reported that reconnecting with their faith is their top personal reason for attending church. The next top two reasons adults listed were a desire to learn more about themselves and to improve mental health, according to a Wednesday news release from research organization Barna Group and tech company Gloo. Barna released the data as part of its State of the Church study, which surveyed roughly 3,000 young adults in 2025.

Young adults’ personal motivations for attending church were inward focused, said Daniel Copeland, vice president of research at Barna, in a statement. He said church leaders should consider this carefully and also look into how to help young adults turn outward toward community and contribution.

What other motivations did adults give? In previous reports, Barna said young adults listed the top spiritual reasons for church attendance as prayer and worshiping with others. The top social reasons were having deeper relationships with other Christians and learning from others.

What else did Barna’s research find?

• New Christians reported that they were more likely to come to church for support with life’s challenges than longtime followers.

• Young men listed fewer personal reasons for attending church than young women.

• More men than women said they attend church to engage with politics.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report on findings that show Christians are trusting AI as a spiritual authority.