Half of Gen Z Say Christians' Support for Trump De-Incentivizes Their Potential Church Attendance: Survey

Nearly half of Gen Z adults in the US said Christians' support for President Donald Trump de-incentivizes them from attending church, according to a newly published survey.

The Report: When asked if Christians' support for Trump made them less likely to attend church, 48% of respondents agreed – 19% of whom strongly agreed, though 21% strongly disagreed. In terms of political affiliations, about 66% of Democrats, 25% of Republicans, and 42% of Independents agreed. In terms of religious affiliations, 44% of unaffiliated Christians, 42% of Catholics, 30% of Protestants, 65% of agnostics, and 72% of atheists agreed. The survey of 2,365 was conducted between Aug. 9 and Sept. 26, 2024 by the Billy Graham Center Research Institute at Wheaton College in Illinois through NORC's AmeriSpeak panel and funded by the Lilly Endowment.

How The Media Covered It: This story was sparsely covered overall and almost exclusively run by religiously-affiliated media, likely due to the many nuances in data interpretations. Religion News Service (Center bias), where the findings were originally published, described Trump as a "deeply polarizing figure," but it emphasized, "We can't infer from this data whether this is the primary (or only) impediment for someone showing up to church on Sunday. It's highly likely that there are many in these three groups who would not come to church for any reason, and the Trump connection is just a factor among many or a tidy way to explain their lack of religious participation." Relevant Magazine (Lean Left) cited data that exhibited significant religious interest among those in Gen Z and reported, "The challenge, experts say, is rebuilding trust in churches."

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Key Quotes: The survey's leader, Professor Rick Richardson, cited an array of "political, moral and social media demotivators" in churches that may affect Gen Z. The Christian Post (Lean Right) gave voice to National Association of Evangelicals President Walter Kim, who suggested last year that Trump's deportation efforts have "a profound and deleterious effect on the Church," particularly out of congregants' fears of attending in-person services.

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