The longstanding gender gap in religious affiliation and importance is narrowing among Generation Z, according to recent polling. However, conflicting interpretations of the data offer different explanations for this trend.
Gallup polling released in April indicated that the narrowing gap is largely due to an increase in religiosity among young men. The survey found that 42% of men between the ages of 18 and 29 reported that religion is “very important” to them in 2024-2025. This represents a 14 percentage point increase from just two years prior, when only 28% of young men held the same view.
This shift reverses previous gender dynamics, where women consistently reported religion as being more important than men. For example, in 2012-2013, 51% of women aged 18-29 stated religion was very important to them, compared to 41% of men in the same age group. In the most recent 2024-2025 data, only 29% of young women described religion as very important, a notable decrease from the 42% of young men who expressed the same.
However, other surveys have not identified a similar rise in religiosity among young men. These alternative analyses suggest that the narrowing gender gap is instead being driven by a growing number of young women turning away from religious practice. Some researchers attribute this trend to young women experiencing frustration with persistent sexism within certain religious communities.