Young men's religious revival is a myth

[marmar]

Young men’s religious revival is a myth
New polling suggests the recent “converts” care more about gender than Jesus

By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published May 4, 2026 6:45AM (EDT)


(Salon) Are young men rushing back to church in record numbers? To hear many in the media, especially conservative media, tell it, the answer is a big fat yes. According to these reports, there’s not only a stampede back to the churches by the young, but it’s being led by a surprising cohort: Gen Z men. This, we’re told, is highly unusual because women are typically viewed as more religious than men.

“Young men in the U.S. say religion is ‘very important’ in their lives compared to young women,” a recent Associated Press story read, noting this is “the first time young men have surpassed young women” on this measure. CNN got in on the action in September with a segment that argued a religious revival among young men was a major trend, with Richard Reeves of the American Institute for Boys and Men declaring that it’s “not politically driven,” even as he admitted that the group seems drawn to Christian leaders that teach women’s subordination. Fox News has heavily hyped this idea as well, producing segments insisting — without good evidence — that young men are converting in huge numbers or that they “are turning to faith more so than young women.” Other outlets like The Blaze and Breitbart have also embraced these claims.

....(snip)....

Except — they aren’t. A recent Gallup poll did include a surprising finding: In 2024-2025, 42% of men between the ages of 18 to 29 said religion is “very important” to them, which is up from 28% in 2022-2023. The figure also dramatically surpassed young women, who held steady at 30%. But a deeper look shows that young men are not actually going to church more than young women. When it comes to self-reported rates of church attendance, the two are basically the same: 39% of young women and 40% of young men say they go to church once a month or more. Even then, we should be skeptical. Sociologists have long noted that Americans overstate church attendance, often dramatically, on surveys, an issue experts chalk up to social desirability bias, the same behavior that causes people to exaggerate how often they vote, downplay how much junk food they eat or even deny they’d buy a fur coat.

This surge of self-proclaimed religiosity among young men likely has less to do with faith and more to do with politics — specifically, gender politics. As the 2024 election showed, young male voters have made a dramatic swing to the right. According to a CIRCLE Post-2024 Election Youth Poll conducted by Tufts University, a whopping 56% of men aged 18 to 29 voted for Donald Trump in 2024, compared to only 41% who did so in four years earlier. Women in the same age bracket voted for Democrats in both elections. This shift has been largely — and I believe accurately — attributed to young men’s consumption of a deluge of far-right propaganda online, packaged as “lifestyle” content, from podcasters like Joe Rogan, and a variety of TikTok and Instagram influencers. ......................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/05/04/young-mens-religious-revival-is-a-myth/

[Wounded Bear]

1. Yeah, I've been wondering about those claims...

Didn't really make sense to me.

[Diamond_Dog]

2. Really, I think most savvy women see this.

“This is “religion” that exists only to justify prejudices, and it doesn’t ask much of the listeners in return. No prayer, tithing or sacrifices, like abstaining from sex until marriage.”

[3catwoman3]

8. "..like abstaining from sex until marriage."

Highly unlikely.

[The Madcap]

3. Well, with so many men having no apparent future,

I'm honestly surprised the numbers aren't higher. If all I had to look forward to was a labor-intensive minimum-wage job until I die, I would probably vote for the destruction of the system (voting R) out of bitterness.

I think a lot of the current misogyny stems from the weak positions many men are in (at least those that they think they are in). They seem to be looking for someone "weaker" to blame, and that someone is often a woman.

They are obviously wrong.

[EdmondDantes_]

9. I think this is important to understand their motivation

Our society is undergoing a couple of major changes between the economic challenges a lot of people (particularly men without college degrees) are facing and the changes to our demographics in becoming a majority minority country and it is understandable why there's a pull to going back to a time when being a white man was a ticket to success. Not justifying it, but to succeed politically we need a message that resonates with at least a plurality if not a majority. And given the demographic distribution of the country, that can't just be diverse coastal states.

Plus a bunch of angry men who see no options often leads to violence.

[Dave Id]

4. Religions in general are male dominant

Throughout history religions have kept women down as a second class and a servant to men. Seems to be a primary goal of religion to 'keep women in their place'.

[Oneironaut]

5. It's phony religiosity as virtue signaling for identity politics.

As in, “I am a Trump supporter. Because of this, I must be religious, I must believe X,Y, and Z. I must have a certain appearance / wear the attire and my enemies are group A, B, and C.”

None of it is genuine. People are desperate for meaning and belonging, and, will literally compromise their entire world view to fit in. There is no thought or authenticity involved in any of this.

[modrepub]

11. Trump and Religion

Are an oxymoron. Trump and his supports along with the M$M show how one can express their religious views in words only and not in deeds then claim others are falsely religious when actions of the “falsely religious” seem to clearly show adherence to some generally accepted religious principles.

This is silly known as projection.

[Lonestarblue]

6. And these young men who subscribe to female subordination can't figure out why women aren't interested in them.

Many young women today refuse to date men who insist that they submit and be co trolled to the men i their lives. No surprise there.

[Stargazer99]

7. You did not get away with it tracker (a personal to the coward messing with my post)

[Ray Bruns]

10. "Young men in the U.S. say religion is 'very important' in their lives compared to young women,"

Bullshit. Was a young man once and the only thing important to me was my career and getting laid.

Actually, those are the two things that occupy my mind now.

[erronis]

12. That statement "Young men in the U.S. say religion ... compared to young women" is ambiguous

Religion was never more important to me than thinking about young women.

But agreeing with your analysis!

[JT45242]

13. The Pew research would disagree ....they have more robust data

Just went through a study of the Pew Research on religious trends as part of a lay leadership group for a mainline denomination. There was no such rosy pictue.

We came to the conclusion that if mainline (NOT CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST) denominations want to thrive and do meaningful work they need to be the church that they say they are.

Feed the hungry, take care of the sick, do justice (in the sense that everyone has enough), love mercy, walk humbly, care for the widow and orphan.

Love your God (whatever it looks like to you) and love your neighbor.

Live by whatever version of the golden rule that your religion uses (don't do bad stuff to people that you wouldn't want done to you; treat others as you would like to be treated, etc.)

But there is a group that hears the heresies of subjugating women and the prosperity gospel. They are aren't really religious but let's be honest -- evangelical Christianity in the US is a political party and not a moral or religious entity.

[Americanme]

14. I figured it was bullshit.

Just more people claiming to be christians, while ignoring everything Christ ever said. They think it puts them a step up in the pecking order.

[paleotn]

15. Gee, fellas, if you paid more attention to your studies, like your female counterparts do....

and less on social bullshit. Expand your mind, your understanding, and your marketable skills. Plus, act like a normal, well adjusted human for a change. Then perhaps your prospects wouldn't be as bleak and you wouldn't seek solace in collective, gender butthurt..... and now sky fairies. Sorry, but the sky fairies are going to do you just as much good as the whiny, gender butthurt. It's not that society, women, fill in the blank, are collectively shitting on you. It's YOU that's the problem. In my mind, a swift kick in the ass is in order. If I whined and rolled around in self pity to this extent when I was their age, holy shit!, that's exactly what my parents would have given me. And rightly so.

[BluesRunTheGame]

16. Boys begin falling behind in the first grade.

Maybe we could start the school year off by writing “no whiny gender butthurt I this classroom!” on the chalkboard. “No sky fairies either!”

[paleotn]

17. And apparently today they never catch back up.

They're just allowed to continue to fall further and further behind, find scapegoats, and end up in the incel / neo-nazi ranks. Joy.