Youth Favor People Over Digital Media For Spiritual Guidance: UCLA Study

LOS ANGELES, CA — Young people are turning to digital media to explore religion and spirituality, but they continue to trust parents, caregivers and faith leaders more for spiritual guidance, according to a UCLA study released Tuesday.

The first Future of Faith study from UCLA's Center for Scholars & Storytellers surveyed more than 2,000 people ages 16 to 24 and conducted focus groups with nearly 100 adolescents and young adults ages 14 to 24.

According to the study, more than 97% of religious respondents and 80% of nonreligious respondents said they had been spiritually moved, inspired or comforted by online content.

Online content also encouraged young people to explore new beliefs and practices, with 67% of religious respondents and 78% of nonreligious respondents saying it helped them discover new spiritual or religious ideas.

Despite the role of digital media, more than 60% of religious respondents said their religious practice remained rooted in traditional settings or combined traditional practices with media use.

Respondents ranked people they know in person, including faith community leaders and parents or caregivers, as their most trusted sources for understanding their faith, followed by other family members and religious peers.

"Gen Z and Gen Alpha are redefining what religion and spirituality look like in the digital age, and they have an appetite for authentic content that reflects and amplifies their beliefs and practices," Yalda T. Uhls, the study's senior author and founder of the Center for Scholars & Storytellers, said in a statement. "There is a real opportunity for media creators to step up and develop content that will spark curiosity, foster connection and open new pathways for young people to explore their faith in a safe environment."

The study also found concerns among young people about how religion and spirituality are portrayed in media.

More than 60% of respondents said something they encountered in media had made them feel less safe expressing their religious beliefs, while 70% of religious respondents said media portrayals of their religion or spirituality influenced how others treated them.

Less than half of respondents in nearly every religious and nonreligious group said portrayals of their faith or beliefs were accurate, according to the study.

More than half of respondents from most religious groups said content about religious beliefs or worldviews had contributed to conflict or tension with a family member, friend or peer.

Researchers said participants wanted content creators, influencers and television and film producers to offer more nuanced and authentic portrayals of religion and spirituality. Fewer than one-third of religious respondents said they had a strong faith- or belief-based online community.

The study included participants who identified as evangelical Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Latter-day Saints, Sikh, mainline Protestant, Hindu and Buddhist, as well as those who identified as agnostic, atheist or spiritual but nonreligious.

The study was funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation. Researchers from Baylor University and UC Riverside also served as advisers.

City News Service