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📋Springtide Research Institute 📅 2023 📍US Youth
At-a-Glance
At-a-Glance
Springtide Research Institute’s annual State of Religion & Young People report is here, giving insights into US young people ages 13-25. The 2023 report surveyed 4,546 young people focusing on this generation’s perception of experiencing the sacred.
#youthculture #faith #sacred
About
About
While not explicitly Christian, Springtide Research Institute focuses on religion as something that often supports the well-being of young people. This study provides a look into the world of Gen Z and their understanding of the sacred–things, places, or moments that feel special and set apart from others. The report reveals an openness toward sacred encounters but also that young people are increasingly disconnected from religious experiences.
What We Learned
What We Learned
This study takes a step back from studying only specific religious or theological beliefs to focus on Gen Z’s open view toward sacred experiences and the places where young people are encountering these special moments. The vast majority of survey participants identified as “at least slightly spiritual” with many saying they are both spiritual and religious. But even non-religious young people reported having had a sacred experience in their life.
Overall, young people shared that they most often find the sacred in nature and personal relationships, and sometimes in traditional religious environments. The study also shows that young people are open to digital spaces where they might experience sacred moments, even though they are aware of the challenges of virtual gatherings. Researchers also found that young people who are at least slightly religious are doing better across five indicators of well-being as compared to the non-religious.
What you can do with this research
What you can do with this research
At a minimum, this study provides a helpful baseline of Gen Z’s most current spiritual beliefs and behaviors in the US. The research shows an open view toward a higher power and a decentralized understanding of the sacred world. This more open examination of spirituality outside the traditional lines of religion is valuable in pointing us towards entry points for ministry. Many young people are searching for meaning in places that will not ultimately fulfill them. But they are searching, which is encouraging.
The report also revealed a thoughtful engagement with digital spaces. This generation understands the limits of virtual experiences, yet are still open to engaging in those spaces–which can inform our own efforts and goals in digital ministry spaces.
Read OneHope’s summary of Exploring the Sacred.
Buy a digital copy of the report here.
📋Holy Post Podcast 📅 2024📍US Youth
At-a-Glance
At-a-Glance
This six-part podcast series interviews various topical experts about the challenges young people face and how we can better support their faith and well-being.
#youthministry #mentalhealth #interviews
About
About
Launched in 2012 by Phil Vischer and Skye Jethani, “The Holy Post Podcast” started as an outlet for two friends to discuss current events through the lens of their shared Christian faith. For this project, the podcast partnered with Tenx10 (pronounced ten by ten), a collaborative discipleship initiative focused on making faith matter for upcoming generations. Together, they explore a pressing question: Are the kids alright?
Headlines and research about the epidemic levels of depression and loneliness for this generation have been sparking alarm around the world. In response, the podcasters sit down with psychologists, academics, and youth ministry workers to talk about the huge challenges and huge potential confronting those who care about and want to invest in today’s teenagers.
Preview each episode below to help you decide where to jump in. Not sure if you have time to stream them all? We’ve listened to the series already and have a short written summary of all five episodes here.
#sleep #staycalm #development
Clinical psychologist Lisa Damour wants you to know that being a teenager has always been hard. While lack of sleep and information overload are putting a bigger strain on today’s teens, your best gift to them is to normalize their experiences by being a caring, non-reactive presence.
Not ready to listen? You can read our episode summary here
#loneliness #nophones #worthit
Professor Jean Twenge comes out swinging with her case against smartphones. She has been making connections between increased phone use and declining mental health in teens since 2012. What to do? Push back where you can, whether through enforcing laws, creating breaks from tech, or putting off providing a smartphone for as long as possible.
Not ready to listen? You can read our episode summary here.
#pursuegood #framing #replacenotrestrict
Sociologist Felicia Song explores ways to lead young people into wise relationships with technology. She is careful not to demonize technology, instead prioritizing healthy conversations that help teens make informed decisions about their relationship with digital worlds and their effects.
Not ready to listen? You can read our episode summary here.
#Nones #GenZ #trust
Political scientist Ryan Burge presents the challenging reality that almost half of Gen Z identify as “nones” with no religious affiliation. Burge unpacks this trend with a range of statistics and gives some helpful ideas for how the Church might respond.
Not ready to listen? You can read our episode summary here.
#walkWITHthem #truth #listen
Young Life leader Tanita Maddox has great hope for and about Gen Z. Her challenge to older generations is to slow down, ask good questions, and be prepared to work with young people to discover the answers together.
Not ready to listen? You can read our episode summary here.
What you need to know about these resources
What you need to know about these resources
These are great conversations to listen to and spark thinking about how we can support young people through challenging spaces. But remember–these are just individual people sharing their perspectives. They are experts whose ideas are informed by research, but filtered through the lens of their personal experience, priorities, and opinions.
Use these interviews as food for thought and if you’re interested–dive deeper into the studies and resources they reference. Just remember that while backed by research, these episodes are not research findings in themselves.
📋OneHope Research 📅 2024📍Africa
God’s Word is going out powerfully in the Sahel region of West Africa! But what is really working and what isn’t? We went to our staff and partners in the region with an open mind and a series of survey questions to find out just that.
We were reminded of the deeply complex challenges of working in this area of the world, including shifting political landscapes, often displaced populations, and wide ranging literacy rates. After surveying over 100 ministry partners, we have a better understanding of the opportunities, challenges, and felt needs of OneHope’s partners.
About the Research:
About the Research:
106 partners surveyed
5 countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Senegal, Niger
Key Takeaways:
Key Takeaways:
Partners expressed a strong need for local language translation and more visual media to reach kids who struggle with reading.
More training was requested for 17 Stories, Lead Today, and Stories of Hope to equip teachers to lead these programs well.
OneHope products are reportedly being used with kids as young as two and adults as old as 90!
One thing this research project highlighted was the diversity of needs and experiences in each of the five countries surveyed. While they represent the same region, each country had their own favorite products as well as unique gaps in their ministry landscape.
The Open Generation is an international research study to help church leaders understand teenagers around the world. It is the largest study Barna has ever conducted focusing on teens’ perceptions of and engagement with three crucial elements of the Christian faith: Jesus, the Bible and justice.
24,870 teens ages 13-17 were surveyed in 26 countries and in 16 languages. Data was collected between July 21-August 24, 2021.
We've read and summarized the study to help you quickly access the most important learnings, as well as broken down the research insights by region.
How can I find trustworthy demographic data?
How can I find trustworthy demographic data?
Looking for global demographics around key topics? Check out the UN Data portal for statistics on a wide range of issues including education, health, IT, and refugee status.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
That's it for this edition of the Research Radar! If you have any questions about the research featured here contact us at research@onehope.net
Know of an interesting research study, article, or book we should be reading? Send it our way! We would love to take a look for a future edition of the radar.
In this edition:
In this edition:
Good research always cites its sources–and so do we! Here are the articles and authors featured in this edition of the Research Radar:
Barna Group. “The Open Generation.” https://www.barna.com/the-open-generation/.
Springtide Research Institute. The State of Religion & Young People 2023: Exploring the Sacred. Springtide Research Institute, 2023.
Vischer, Phil, and Skye Jethani. “The Holy Post Podcast: Are the Kids Alright?” https://www.holypost.com/holy-post-podcast.
“UNdata.” https://data.un.org/.
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