Young US Men Now More Likely to Prioritize Religion Than Young Women

Shift in Religious Priorities Among Young Americans Revealed in New Study

A surprising shift has emerged in the religious landscape among young Americans. Recent analysis by Gallup highlights a growing number of young men in the US prioritizing religion in their lives, surpassing the traditionally higher religiosity of young women.

Data for 2024-2025 shows that 42% of men aged 18 to 29 consider religion “very important,” a notable increase from 28% two years prior. In contrast, young women’s religious commitment has remained steady at around 30%.

This development reverses a longstanding trend where young women were more religious than their male peers, a dynamic evident since the early 2000s when the gap was as wide as 16 percentage points.

Researchers found this increase mainly among younger men, with older age groups showing little change. Despite this rise, older men and women’s religious commitment continues to hover near historical lows, making the young male uptick more distinct.

Interestingly, this resurgence aligns with levels last seen around the year 2000. Meanwhile, young women are now the least likely among female age groups to view religion as very important, with only 29% doing so, significantly trailing behind women aged 30 to 49 and senior women.

Religious service attendance echoes this pattern. Participation among young men has climbed to 40%, the highest in over a decade, while young women’s attendance has also increased but still lags behind early 2000s levels, placing the two groups neck and neck in current figures.

The alignment in attendance is not uniform across age groups. Young men’s attendance is closer to older men, with a mere 4-point difference, while young women trail older women by 12 points.

Religious identification shows less drastic changes. Currently, 63% of young men associate with a faith tradition, a stable figure that surpasses the mid-2010s lows. Conversely, young women’s identification has slightly decreased to about 60%.

Political affiliation appears to influence these trends significantly. The rise in religiosity is most apparent among young men aligning with or leaning toward the Republican Party.

Religious service attendance has increased by seven and eight points among young Republican men and women, respectively, and by 3 points among young Democratic men. However, young Democratic women have shown little change since 2022-2023.

Young men are more likely to lean Republican (48% vs 41%), while young women predominantly align with the Democratic Party (60% vs 27%). This political inclination contributes to the observed trends in male religiosity.

Despite these shifts, the overall religious landscape in the US continues to experience long-term decline, with religious importance, affiliation, and attendance remaining near historical lows. Whether the current rise among young men signals a persistent change or a temporary fluctuation awaits further analysis in forthcoming Gallup polls.