What are the key takeaways from this The Daily (NYT) episode?

Key insights include: **Secularization pause:** For the first time in Pew Research history, Americans have stopped leaving churches at the rates seen since the early 1990s, when 90% identified as Christian. That figure dropped to roughly two-thirds over three decades — a loss of approximately 40 million churchgoers — but the non-religious share of the population declined again in 2025, returning to 2014 levels.; **Gen Z religiosity reversal:** Pew data shows 18-to-23-year-olds are now slightly more likely to attend religious services at least once monthly than the cohort just older than them — reversing the long-assumed pattern that each successive generation would be less religious than the last. This is a modest but statistically notable directional shift worth tracking across future surveys.; **Young men and religion:** A Gallup survey recorded a sharp rise in men under 30 who call religion "very important" — jumping from 28% in 2023 to 42% in 2025. This reverses the historical pattern where young women consistently reported higher religiosity than young men, suggesting a demographic realignment that researchers and faith communities should monitor closely.

What did Lauren Jackson discuss on The Daily (NYT)?

NYT producer Asthaa Chaturvedi and reporter Lauren Jackson examine a measurable shift in American religiosity: after decades of mass church departures, secularization has paused since 2020, with new Pew and Gallup data showing younger generations and men under 30 reconsidering faith, driven by pandemic disruption, isolation, and political disillusionment. Key topics include: **Secularization pause:** For the first time in Pew Research history, Americans have stopped leaving churches at the rates seen since the early 1990s, when 90% identified as Christian. That figure dropped to roughly two-thirds over three decades — a loss of approximately 40 million churchgoers — but the non-religious share of the population declined again in 2025, returning to 2014 levels.; **Gen Z religiosity reversal:** Pew data shows 18-to-23-year-olds are now slightly more likely to attend religious services at least once monthly than the cohort just older than them — reversing the long-assumed pattern that each successive generation would be less religious than the last. This is a modest but statistically notable directional shift worth tracking across future surveys..

How long is this episode of The Daily (NYT)?

This episode is 42 minutes long. SignalCast provides an AI-generated summary so you can get the key insights in about 3 minutes.

The Daily (NYT)

Why More Americans Are Seeking Religion

May 12, 2026

42 min episode · 2 min read

Lauren Jackson

Episode

42 min

Read time

2 min

Topics

Leadership, Software Development, Product & Tech Trends

AI-Generated Summary

Published May 12, 2026

Key Takeaways

✓Secularization pause: For the first time in Pew Research history, Americans have stopped leaving churches at the rates seen since the early 1990s, when 90% identified as Christian. That figure dropped to roughly two-thirds over three decades — a loss of approximately 40 million churchgoers — but the non-religious share of the population declined again in 2025, returning to 2014 levels.
✓Gen Z religiosity reversal: Pew data shows 18-to-23-year-olds are now slightly more likely to attend religious services at least once monthly than the cohort just older than them — reversing the long-assumed pattern that each successive generation would be less religious than the last. This is a modest but statistically notable directional shift worth tracking across future surveys.
✓Young men and religion: A Gallup survey recorded a sharp rise in men under 30 who call religion "very important" — jumping from 28% in 2023 to 42% in 2025. This reverses the historical pattern where young women consistently reported higher religiosity than young men, suggesting a demographic realignment that researchers and faith communities should monitor closely.
✓Pandemic as spiritual catalyst: The precise moment secularization leveled off in Pew data aligns with the start of COVID-19. People confronting mortality, losing community structures, and questioning whether work provided sufficient meaning began reassessing religion's "full package" — built-in community, ritual, and existential frameworks — even when returning meant engaging with institutionally flawed organizations.
✓Political disillusionment driving faith: Across the political spectrum, not just the right, people are turning to religion as a counter to ideological toxicity. One subject, a former left-wing atheist public defender, concluded that without a universalistic, transcendent framework grounding shared humanity, political discourse collapses into tribalism — leading him to quietly return to Catholicism after years of open hostility toward the church.

What It Covers

NYT producer Asthaa Chaturvedi and reporter Lauren Jackson examine a measurable shift in American religiosity: after decades of mass church departures, secularization has paused since 2020, with new Pew and Gallup data showing younger generations and men under 30 reconsidering faith, driven by pandemic disruption, isolation, and political disillusionment.

Key Questions Answered

•Secularization pause: For the first time in Pew Research history, Americans have stopped leaving churches at the rates seen since the early 1990s, when 90% identified as Christian. That figure dropped to roughly two-thirds over three decades — a loss of approximately 40 million churchgoers — but the non-religious share of the population declined again in 2025, returning to 2014 levels.
•Gen Z religiosity reversal: Pew data shows 18-to-23-year-olds are now slightly more likely to attend religious services at least once monthly than the cohort just older than them — reversing the long-assumed pattern that each successive generation would be less religious than the last. This is a modest but statistically notable directional shift worth tracking across future surveys.
•Young men and religion: A Gallup survey recorded a sharp rise in men under 30 who call religion "very important" — jumping from 28% in 2023 to 42% in 2025. This reverses the historical pattern where young women consistently reported higher religiosity than young men, suggesting a demographic realignment that researchers and faith communities should monitor closely.
•Pandemic as spiritual catalyst: The precise moment secularization leveled off in Pew data aligns with the start of COVID-19. People confronting mortality, losing community structures, and questioning whether work provided sufficient meaning began reassessing religion's "full package" — built-in community, ritual, and existential frameworks — even when returning meant engaging with institutionally flawed organizations.
•Political disillusionment driving faith: Across the political spectrum, not just the right, people are turning to religion as a counter to ideological toxicity. One subject, a former left-wing atheist public defender, concluded that without a universalistic, transcendent framework grounding shared humanity, political discourse collapses into tribalism — leading him to quietly return to Catholicism after years of open hostility toward the church.

Notable Moment

A lifelong atheist and progressive public defender spent weeks secretly watching Catholic YouTube videos late at night, too embarrassed to tell his wife, before finally emailing his diocese requesting confession — describing his covert religious exploration as a "dirty secret" incompatible with his political identity.

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Episode Transcript

This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Spring always feels like a reset. Clearing things out, simplifying what you don't need, Apple Card is built with that same idea in mind. No annual fee, no late fees, and no foreign transaction fees. No fees, period. Get started and apply in the Wallet app on your iPhone today, subject to credit approval. Variable APRs for Apple Card range from 17.49% to 27.74% based on creditworthiness. Rates as of 01/01/2026. Existing customers can view their variable APR in the Wallet app or at card.apple.com. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch. Terms and more at applecard.com. From The New York Times, I'm Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily. Across the country and here in South Central Pennsylvania, church leaders say they're seeing a noticeable shift. Gen z is returning to faith, but in ways you might not expect. You're seeing the largest number of converts in recent history joining Young New Yorkers have a new hot spot. Sunday mass. We're learning that for the first time in decades, faith in this country appears to be growing. After decades of declining church attendance and a profound rise in seculars I was like, can I maybe go to a church service with you just to, like, see what it's like? Religion is having a moment in America. I think we do start to question, like, why is this happening? Today, producer Astha Chaturvedi talks to our colleague, Lauren Jackson, about why more and more Americans are now choosing to believe. It's Tuesday, May 12. Hey, Lauren. Hi. How are you? I'm good. It's so fun to see you in this space. Oh, yeah. Let's see how fun it is. I love the dangle. It feels like so much of the conversation about religion in the last few years and even the Daily's coverage of religion, has been about how politicized it has become, especially on the right. It's true. There was a recent face off between the pope and the president, but I'm also thinking about the overturning of Roe v Wade, battles at the Southern Baptist Convention over female pastors and IVF. Some of these episodes I've produced for The Daily. But you haven't been reporting on religion from that angle. Instead, you've been reporting on faith itself and how and why people in America believe. And I wanna understand how all of this started for you and why you decided to begin reporting on this now. Yeah. There have been so many stories in the last few years of the ascendancy of a very muscular conservative Christianity and the ways in which that is expressing itself in politics. I'm interested in all of them, but I was really interested in how most people in America wrestle with these really big questions of religion and spirituality and how they appear in their lives, their families, and communities. And as I started to look into that, something …

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