A growing number of young men in the United States are attending church and placing greater importance on religion, marking a notable shift in recent years, according to new data from Gallup.
In a report released Thursday, Gallup found that 42% of men ages 18 to 29 surveyed between 2024 and 2025 said religion is “very important” in their lives. This reflects a significant increase compared to the 28% recorded in 2022 to 2023.
The findings also show a gender gap, with young men reporting higher levels of religious importance than women. Specifically, the 42% of young men who said religion is “very important” exceeds the 29% of young women who expressed the same view during the same period.
Attendance at religious services among young men has also risen, with 40% reporting they attend at least monthly in 2024 to 2025, up from 33% in 2022 to 2023. This marks the highest level of attendance among young men since 2012 to 2013.
Researchers pointed to a strong connection between religious engagement and political affiliation among young adults, particularly men.
“Since 2022–2023, attendance has risen seven points among young Republican men, eight points among young Republican women and three points among young Democratic men. Only young Democratic women show little change,” researchers said.
“Longer-term, however, attendance among young Republican men has been trending upward since 2018–2019, while young Democratic men’s attendance has generally declined. The recent increase in young Republican women’s attendance contrasts with no meaningful change among young Democratic women.”
The report also highlighted differences in political identification among young adults. Among men ages 18 to 29, 48% identified as or leaned Republican, compared to 41% who identified as or leaned Democrat. Among women in the same age group, 60% identified as or leaned Democratic, while 27% identified as or leaned Republican.
Gallup stated, “The finding that Republicans have driven heightened religious attendance among young men — and that a similar increase has occurred among young Republican women — suggests political dynamics may be playing a role in religious changes among the nation’s young adults.”
Looking ahead, the organization said, “Future Gallup polling will indicate whether this is a temporary phase or a lasting change that may ultimately reverse the traditional gender gap in religiosity among older Americans.”
