There is much talk about the uniqueness of the generation born between 1981 and 2001. While the category of generations can be dubious, there is little doubt that young people are less interested in joining traditional religious institutions and less subject to religious authority and dogma. Nearly a third of Millennials are religious “nones” who do not affiliate with any tradition.
Through surveys and interviews with young adults of all faiths and no faith, our research has found the Millennial Generation to be more interested in hybrid identities and diverse experiences than any generation before them. As Millennials age, we’ll be watching the ways they opt into or out of religious belief and belonging—as well as how religious institutions respond.
CRCC in the NewsIBT: Loskota on Millennial Anxiety Amid the PandemicThe ongoing pandemic has caused young people to lose hope. A survey of 2,000 youths, for example, found that 40 percent of 16- to 25-year-olds now feel that their goals for the …Topics: COVID, Millennials
CRCC in the NewsReligion News Service: Richard Flory on Young Adults Leaving ReligionYoung adults are leaving organized religion in high numbers. Religion News Service spoke with co-authors Melinda Lundquist Denton and CRCC’s Richard Flory on the findings in their new book about the changing …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Millennials, Population Trends
BookBack-Pocket God: Religion and Spirituality in the Lives of Emerging AdultsBack-Pocket God: Religion and Spirituality in the Lives of Emerging Adults By Melinda Lundquist Denton & Richard Flory (Oxford University Press, 2020) More than a decade ago, a group of researchers began …Topics: Books, Millennials, Religious Affiliation
CommentaryHoly Listening Connects Young Adults to ChurchesThis post, co-authored by Dori Baker, originally appeared on Faith & Leadership. Multicolored Post-it notes dot the walls of the seminary classroom. Here, in a pop-up design thinking lab, people are buzzing …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Creativity and Innovation, Millennials, Religious Affiliation
CommentaryThe Changing Nature of America’s Irreligious ExplainedThis article was originally published on The Conversation. A recent survey of the religious profile of the 115th Congress revealed that despite the increase in the number of Americans who claim no …Topics: Creativity and Innovation, Millennials, Political Attitudes and Values, Religious "Nones", Religious Affiliation, Social Services, Voting and Elections
CRCC in the NewsKorean Papers Cover Seoul Conference on Religious Competition and Creative InnovationCRCC’s research partners in Seoul, South Korea hosted a conference for the Religious Competition and Creative Innovation project, inviting scholars from around the world to discuss the themes of the project. Korean …Topics: Asia, Creativity and Innovation, Megachurches, Millennials
CRCC in the NewsLong Beach Press-Telegram: New Churches in an Urban Community“Known culturally for its hipsters, bars, food trucks and gay community, Long Beach could also become known as a revival town for churches,” Josh Dulaney writes in the Long Beach Press-Telegram. His …Topics: Christians and Christianity, Creativity and Innovation, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Millennials, Place and Religion, Southern California
CommentaryMeet Your Local Catholic SisterI grew up in suburban Philadelphia where Catholic sisters were a visible and integral part of our churches, schools and hospitals. Sister Immaculata, Sister Dolores, Sister Marcille and countless others educated, nurtured …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, Creativity and Innovation, Millennials, Nuns and Women Religious
ArticleWill a Thriving Singles Scene Renew American Catholicism?This post originally appeared on Religion Dispatches. As the choir rehearses before St. Monica’s Sunday evening Mass, two blond women in skinny jeans slide into a pew in the rear of the …Topics: Catholics and Catholicism, Creativity and Innovation, Millennials, Religious Affiliation
CRCC in the NewsA Religion Dispatches Roundtable Discussion on Religious “Nones”Religion Dispatches’ Peter Laarman led a roundtable conversation on religious “nones” with Kaya Oakes, The Nones Are Alright: A New Generation of Seekers, Believers and Those in Between, Sikivu Hutchinson, atheist scholar and author, …Topics: Black Church, Christians and Christianity, Creativity and Innovation, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Millennials, Protests and Uprisings, Religious "Nones", Religious Beliefs and Rituals
CommentaryThe Top Five Religion Trends to Watch in 2016From the rise of evangelical hipsters to the rise of religious “nones,” religion is in a period of flux as we end one year and look forward to the next. Here at …Topics: Black Church, Catholics and Catholicism, Christians and Christianity, Creativity and Innovation, Economic Inequality, Evangelicals and Evangelicalism, Hunger and Food Policy, Immigration, Latinos, Megachurches, Millennials, Place and Religion, Political Attitudes and Values, Protests and Uprisings, Race and Culture, Religious "Nones", Religious Leadership, Social Services, Voting and Elections
CommentaryCelebrating Christmas in an Age of Religious ExtremismThis article was originally published on The Conversation. From the recent attack on Planned Parenthood to the shooting in San Bernardino, extremists of all stripes are revealing the ugly side of religion. …Topics: Creativity and Innovation, Meditation and Prayer, Millennials, Religious "Nones", Religious Affiliation, Religious Beliefs and Rituals, Religious Extremism
“Evangelical Millennials are decidedly not moving into mainline Protestant or Catholic churches in any significant numbers. Looking at just the young people who identified as evangelical when we first surveyed them as teenagers,…fully 25 percent of these emerging adults now identify themselves as “not religious” and have few or no ties to any religious group.”
—Richard Flory
“Will the Real Evangelical Millennials Please Stand Up?”
CRCC Experts
To schedule an interview with one of our experts, please contact CRCC:
crcc@usc.edu or 213-743-1611
Richard FloryExecutive DirectorRichard Flory is a sociologist whose work focuses on religion and urban life, religious and cultural change, and youth and young adults.
Nalika GajaweeraSenior Research AnalystNalika Gajaweera is a cultural anthropologist specialized in Buddhism, transnationalism and ethics, with an area expertise in South Asia.
Andrew JohnsonPast FellowAndrew Johnson is a sociologist who studies religion on the margins of society, with specific interests in religious practice inside of prison, Latin American Pentecostalism and religion in the city.
Nick StreetSenior WriterNick Street was a journalist covering religious change and innovation, Buddhism, Pentecostalism and LGBT issues.