New Research: Belief in Jesus Rises, Fueled by Younger Adults

At a time when organized religion in America faces scrutiny and skepticism, a new Barna study as part of the State of the Church 2025 initiative shows a groundswell of commitment to Jesus over the last four years.

According to Barna’s latest data, 66 percent of all U.S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today. That marks a 12-percentage-point increase since 2021, when commitment levels reached their lowest in more than three decades of Barna tracking.

This shift is not only statistically significant—it may be the clearest indication of meaningful spiritual renewal in the United States. Commitment to Jesus was lowest in 2021 and 2022, when it bottomed out at 54 percent. Since then, the research shows a steady, year-over-year increase in the key indicator.

In aggregate terms, the multi-year climb in public sentiment toward Jesus equates to nearly 30 million more U.S. adults who claim to be following Jesus today than in 2021.

“Undeniably, there is renewed interest in Jesus,” says David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna. “Many people have predicted the growing irrelevance of Christianity, however, this data shows that spiritual trends have a dynamism and can, indeed, change. This is the clearest trend we’ve seen in more than a decade pointing to spiritual renewal—and it’s the first time Barna has recorded such spiritual interest being led by younger generations.”

Get Barna’s free Easter sermon slides meant to help you talk about the resurgence in beliefs in Jesus. Also, to gain access to more State of the Church 2025 updates, subscribe for free here.

Gen Z & Millennials Fuel the Turn to Jesus

Among the biggest drivers of the Jesus resurgence are younger generations—particularly Gen Z and Millennials. This is a significant change from previous Barna tracking, which showed Elders and Boomers as more committed Christians than younger generations.

Since the pandemic, however, Millennials and Gen Z have shown significant increases in commitment to Jesus, while Boomers and Gen X (especially women in these older cohorts) have remained mostly flat in their commitment levels to Jesus.

That sets up the context for another counterintuitive trend: men—especially younger men—are more likely to be Jesus followers than are younger women. For example, among Gen Z men, commitment to Jesus jumped 15 percentage points between 2019 and 2025. Millennial men saw a similar spike of 19 percentage points.

Growth Among New Jesus Followers

Barna’s study compares findings in two similar but not identical survey questions: Christian self-identity and commitment to Jesus—that is, whether a person self-describes as Christian and whether a respondent indicates a commitment to Christ. Interestingly, responses to the two questions are not always in lock-step, reflecting that people are often a patchwork of religious beliefs and identities.

In other words, some people identify as Christian and others express commitment to Jesus, but these groups don’t always overlap. Almost 3 in 10 people who don’t identify as Christian say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus. This number is currently near an all-time high. This may be due to a combination of people returning to their faith and new people becoming interested in Jesus, without identifying as Christian. Many people are now open to spirituality and Jesus, but hesitant to embrace organized religion or identify as Christian.

Kinnaman offers this explanation: “At this time, we are seeing interest in Jesus that is growing among those who do not otherwise describe themselves as Christians, indicating that many of the new followers of Jesus are not just ‘recycled’ believers. Along with younger generations coming to Jesus, this is another strong sign that interest in Jesus is brewing in new population segments of society.”

These findings echo Barna research revealed in the 2017 article, “Meet the Spiritual but Not Religious.” As in that study, today many people seem to be separating their spiritual openness from direct labels, suggesting they want to be affiliated with Jesus, but not with the Church or with Christianity as a religious identity—at least not yet.

What Does This Mean for Church Leaders?

For pastors and ministry leaders, this is a moment both to celebrate and to steward. People are open—perhaps as much as any time in recent memory—to Jesus. Churches that can meet people in this openness—with authenticity, humility and a focus on discipleship—may find fresh opportunities to minister.

“The increase in commitment to Jesus among those under 40 suggests a growing spirituality that is quiet, personal, unconventional and hopeful, but also challenging,” Kinnaman says. “That’s because today’s spiritual openness is unlikely to translate into church affiliation or attendance and may not resemble renewal movements of the past.

“Still, Christians should be encouraged to hold greater confidence in the gospel and to meet this significant opportunity by cultivating deep-rooted discipleship.”

Kinnaman also notes that answers about “why” the renewal is happening are more elusive.

“While social research can effectively track trends, it may not always identify the root causes behind them,” he says. “Still, the pandemic undeniably disrupted life for everyone, creating space for existential questions and the pursuit of meaning.

“As such, Barna has observed significant indicators of spiritual resurgence in initiatives like The Open Generation, Spiritually Open and Spiritually Curious projects. Simultaneously, society is witnessing other substantial Jesus-centered endeavors. While Barna hasn’t specifically examined their influence, the extensive Jesus-focused media—including The Chosen and He Gets Us—and grassroots campus movements are noteworthy for their scale and concentration on young adults.

“As Christian leaders navigate this changing landscape, one thing is clear: Jesus is still attracting people—even those who have left the pews or never sat in them. The opportunity is not just to count commitments but to help shape people into lifelong disciples.”