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.

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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/