Young people are praying more because they are have higher interest in mindfulness and spirituality than previous generations, Church leaders say
- Young people are praying more than older people, a study has suggested
- The Church of England found 32 per cent of 18-34 prayed in the last month
- However only 25 per cent of over 55s said they had prayed in the same period
Young people are praying more often than older generations due to the popularity of mindfulness and spirituality, the Church of England has suggested.
Some 32 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds said they had prayed in the past month, compared to 25 per cent of over-55s.
Most of the younger age group (56 per cent) also told the survey they had prayed at least once, contrasting with just 41 per cent of over-55s.
The Savanta ComRes survey of 2,073 UK adults, commissioned by the Church of England, found the most common topics of prayer were for friends and family (69 per cent), people who are sick (54 per cent) and to give thanks (51 per cent).
Young people are praying more often than older generations due to the popularity of mindfulness and spirituality, the Church of England has suggested
The findings disprove the assumption that ‘young people are not interested in faith or spiritual things’, Rev Dr Stephen Hance, who speaks for the CofE on evangelism, told The Sunday Telegraph.
‘In an age when mindfulness and meditation are more popular than ever, prayer makes sense to people,’ he said.
While the CofE connects the survey results with a growing interest in spirituality, it is also possible that conservatism among younger generations could be partly responsible.
Around a quarter of ‘Generation Z’ are said to be teetotal, while their ‘woke’ attitudes to issues such as trans rights have seen them labelled ‘new puritans’.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, added: ‘At this time of uncertainty in our world where we face many pressing issues such as the climate emergency, wars, famine, the cost of living, reaching out in prayer to the God who loves us and longs to be known to us can bring peace and transform lives.’
He added: ‘If younger people want to pray, then let our churches be places where prayer is taught and experienced.’
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