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Young men more religious than young women for first time, poll finds

Gallup finds U.S. women’s religiosity falling sharply, with older and middle‑aged women showing the steepest declines in importance and attendance.

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A young man sitting on a bench praying.

By: Justin Boggs

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New Gallup polling shows a sudden rise in religiosity among young men, who are now far more likely than young women to say religion is an important part of their lives.

Data released Tuesday, compiled in 2024 and 2025, found that 42% of men ages 18 to 29 say religion is a very important part of their lives — up from 28% in the previous poll and the highest level since 2000‑01.

By comparison, 29% of women ages 18 to 29 say religion is very important, tying a record low for the survey.

More broadly, Gallup’s polling shows women overall have moved away from religion faster than men. Two decades ago, nearly 80% of women age 65 and older rated religion as very important; in 2024‑25, that dropped to 64%. Among women ages 50 to 64, that number fell from 71% in 2000 to 53% more recently.

The poll shows older men are less likely to be religious than they were decades ago, while middle‑aged men’s views have remained about the same.

Historically, Gallup has found men less religious than women in every age group. This is the first time a male age group ranks higher in religiosity than the same female age group.

Higher religiosity among young men has also led to greater attendance at religious services. The poll found that 40% of men ages 18 to 29 attend services, up from 33% previously — and now surpassing attendance among men ages 30 to 49.

Gallup also reported a sharp partisan divide. Twenty‑six percent of Democratic men attend services, compared with 52% of Republican men. Republican women are about twice as likely to attend services as Democratic women.

Gallup said it is unclear whether this reflects a long‑term trend or a temporary shift, adding that more years of polling will be needed to determine if the change persists.

“The religiosity of Americans as a whole remains at a low ebb, with the importance of religion, self‑reported attendance and identification with a religion all at or near the lowest levels in Gallup’s long‑term trends,” Gallup said. “Yet young men appear to be an emerging exception to the rule.”