New research from The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University has found a trend among Gen Z Americans in the United States to be more likely to reject common views held among those with traditional religious morality.
The survey data about the moral attitudes among Gen Z comes amidst a decades-long trend of declining church attendance and religiosity of many Christian denominations in America.
New Findings
On Tuesday, The Cultural Research Center (CRC) at Arizona Christian University published findings from its American Worldview Inventory 2024 report that attempted to explain “America’s 40-Year Drop in Biblical Worldview”.
The findings contained stark results for younger Americans. “Millennials and Gen Z have largely dismissed Christianity as an irrelevant faith,” George Barna, a prominent Evangelical pollster and director of the Cultural Research Center, said in a statement.
Research Question
The CRC attempted to answer a basic question that has been stumping people around a recently observed decline in religiosity among Americans.
“Some people are perplexed by the consistently declining acceptance of biblical principles by the American population. Given that a person’s worldview is formed by the age of 13 and rarely experiences significant change after that point, how can one explain the decline in the incidence of adults possessing a biblical worldview?” the report asked.
Question Answered
The report asserts that the answer is simple, and it has to do with how different generations are introduced to competing worldviews.
“The answer is simple—“generational transformation,” said Barna. In his role as director, Barna measures worldview at the Cultural Research Center in the annual American Worldview Inventory report.
Worldview Perspective
Barna attributed the problem to a change in the adults holding a so-called “biblical worldview.”
“If you trace the worldview perspectives of adult generations over the course of decades, you can predict the aggregate incidence of biblical and competing worldviews,” Barna said. “Biblical worldview incidence has declined with each of the last five generations. During that time, the national incidence of adults holding a biblical worldview has plummeted from 12% to today’s 4% level.”
Predicting the Future For Young Americans
Based on the data collected by the CRC, Barna has predicted a dramatic decline for young adults if something doesn’t change.
“Our studies of teenagers and preteens indicate that the national incidence will drop another two points within the next 15 years, unless some dramatic and unusually effective spiritual renewal event occurs,” Barna said. “The expected decline can be explained by the increasing influence of the worldview championed by Millennials and Gen Z as the proportion of adults from the Boomer and Elders generations substantially decreases.”
Gen Z on Moral Systems
In an effort to measure moral adherence to a biblical worldview, the survey asked respondents their opinions on various topics.
Among the topics touched on in the survey, 69% of American Generation Z respondents said that abortion was acceptable behavior.
Sex Out of Marriage
Another point where Gen Z overwhelmingly bucks traditional morals is in the practice of sex.
A huge 73% majority of Gen Z reported seeing no problem with “consensual sexual relations with someone of the opposite sex to whom you are not legally married.” Gen Z had the highest majority, with the lowest being the Boomer generation at 59%.
Telling Falsehoods
A 60% majority of Gen Z respondents in the survey said that they were okay with “telling a falsehood of minor consequence in order to protect your personal best interests or reputation.”
Again, Gen Z ranked at the top of the generational list, with Boomers being the lowest at 48%
Do No Harm
Another moral question that the researchers probed respondents on was whether “it is morally acceptable to do anything you desire as long as it does no harm.”
66% of Gen Z agreed with this sentiment, followed by 55% of Millenials, 40% of Gen X, and 29% of Boomers.
Decline of Christianity
Consistent surveys, polls, and reports have noted a remarkable decline in Christian religiosity among Americans; a country that historically has had a strong religious population.
In 2019, Pew Research found that Christians aren’t just declining as a population percentage, but also in total numbers. In a 2022 study, Pew projected that less than half of Americans will be Christian by 2070, with only between 35% and 46% of Americans likely being Christians at that date.
Church Attendance Falling
This marked fall in Christian followers is having profound effects on religious institutions, which rely on follower donations to stay afloat.
In the past twenty years, huge drops in service attendance have been observed. The largest drop was among Catholics. Between 2000 and 2003, 45% of Catholics attended weekly services. This number dropped to only 33% of Catholics attending regular weekly services between 2021 and 2023.
