The Complicated Truth Behind Gen Z’s ‘Religious Resurgence’
The Morning Buzz: July 16, 2025
1. The Complicated Truth Behind Gen Z’s ‘Religious Resurgence’
In a new op-ed for The Hill, PRRI CEO
, Ph.D., challenges the idea of a Gen Z “religious resurgence,” arguing that while young men’s disaffiliation from religion has leveled off, there's no evidence that Gen Z men are becoming more religious. Instead, the 2024 PRRI Census of American Religion shows a deepening gender divide with 40% of young women ages 18 to 29 identifying as religiously unaffiliated, compared with 36% of young men. Deckman notes that among Gen Z men who attend church regularly, more than half (52%) agree with traditional gender roles and more than four in ten (45%) endorse the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, suggesting that their religious participation may be reinforcing, rather than moderating, conservative views.2. Supreme Court Says Trump’s Efforts To Close the Education Department Can Continue
For NPR, Cory Turner covers the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to allow the Trump administration to resume dismantling the Department of Education, pausing a lower court’s temporary block on layoffs and restructuring. The case, brought by 20 states, Washington, D.C., and education unions, is still ongoing, but the ruling weakens efforts to stop what plaintiffs describe as irreparable harm to the agency. Meanwhile, school districts nationwide are scrambling to revise curricula for possible conflicts following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling affirming public school parents’ right to opt children out of instruction that conflicts with their religious beliefs. PRRI research finds that just over half of all Americans (53%) agree that public schools interfere too much with parents’ rights to determine what their children are taught, while 46% disagree.
3. What To Know About “Good Trouble Lives On” Protests
April Rubin at Axios writes that on Thursday, July 17, the fifth anniversary of the death of civil rights icon and longtime Congressman John Lewis, tens of thousands of people are expected to participate in protests against the Trump administration. Organized under the banner “Good Trouble Lives On,” the national day of action seeks to honor Lewis’ legacy of nonviolent protest and his outspoken advocacy for civil and human rights. Lewis, a vocal critic of President Trump during his first term, famously encouraged Americans to get into “good trouble, necessary trouble” in the fight for justice. PRRI’s 2024 post-election survey found that white voters (45%) are the most likely to express confidence in the ability to freely express political opinions under the Trump administration, while Black voters (20%) are the least confident.
4. United Church of Christ Synod Denounces ICE Raids As ‘Domestic Terrorism’
For Religion News Service, Rachel Berkebile reports that the United Church of Christ (UCC) passed a resolution at their General Synod in Kansas City, Missouri, this week, denouncing the recent actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as “domestic terrorism.” The resolution also accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the Constitution and called for the UCC to divest from “for-profit private detention businesses.” The UCC’s criticism of the recent ICE raids aligns with the denomination’s previous stance on protecting immigrants. In 2017, the synod passed a resolution to become an “Immigrant Welcoming Church” and has encouraged its churches to “pray with and serve immigrants, migrants, and refugees.” According to PRRI’s survey on Americans’ attitudes 100 days into the Trump administration, 64% of white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants approve of the job that President Donald Trump is doing handling immigration.
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Learn more in the Spotlight Analysis: Gen Z, Gender, and Religion
Hello! I would welcome learning more about the finding that "more than four in ten (45%) endorse the 'great replacement' conspiracy theory, suggesting that their religious participation may be reinforcing, rather than moderating, conservative views."