Northern Ireland is seeing a clear reversal in religious decline led by the 18-24 age group, as part of what is being called the “Quiet Revival” in the United Kingdom.
Among the 1,200 adults surveyed in Northern Ireland by the Iona poll, 56 percent expressed a favorable view of religion, with Gen Z being the most likely to hold a “very positive” opinion.
The poll also indicated that the percentage of regular Catholic Mass-goers in Northern Ireland is twice as high as in the Republic of Ireland.
Gen Z is also the most likely to pray or read religious content than the 25-34 age group.
David Quinn, director of the Iona Institute, attempted to explain this phenomenon in the conclusion to their study.
“The fact that some kind of revival of interest in religion is occurring among the youngest age group surveyed should encourage all the Churches,” stated the report.
“It is not an outlier finding because polls elsewhere have seen the same thing. Maybe a growing subset of young people are concluding that secularism isn’t really giving satisfactory answers to life’s big questions.”
The religious revival among Gen Z is not a new phenomenon but part of a growing trend across the United Kingdom.
Recent data taken from a YouGov poll has indicated the religious decline in Britain has not only stopped but completely reversed course.
The polling agency reported that in 2018, only 4 percent of 18–24-year-olds attended church monthly. That number has now risen to 16 percent.
The study also revealed that Gen Z Catholics in Britain outnumbered Anglicans 2 to 1.
After observing the growing trend of religious revival in the region, Quinn made a final prediction in the report.
“In the future, there will probably be fewer ‘cultural Christians’ around, that is, people who say they are Christian but don’t practice,” stated the report.
“Instead, society could be divided between those who believe in religion and those who don’t believe, with little in between, that is between the religious and the ‘nones’.”
The report concluded, “The overall conclusion, however, is that religion is not disappearing, contrary to past predictions.”