Millennials go to church for the peace and quiet, not God

AN ATHEIST church-goer might sound like a contradiction, but experts say that the results of a new survey suggest millennials and Generation Z are visiting churches for the peace and quiet, even if they do not believe in God.

The research found that 30 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds say they go to church, with the majority saying they go once or twice a year.

The figures also place 18- to 24-yearolds above every other generation in terms of visiting church, with one in three saying they go, compared with just 31 per cent of over-65s and 22 per cent of 45-to-54s, the lowest of any age group.

Research carried out by Comres, in a survey of more than 4,000 adults, found that one in five 18 to 24-year-olds and one in six 25 to 34-year-olds said they went to church once or twice a year.

Dr Krish Kandiah, a theologian and author who commissioned the survey, said churches and cathedrals were attractive to young people looking for a “quiet, sacred space”.

“Cathedrals are going through the roof. I was speaking to one of the canons at Westminster Abbey, they’re expecting 1.5million people through this summer. So people are recognising this sacred space is important,” Dr Kandiah told The Daily Telegraph.

He added that young people had become interested in spirituality through the rise of techniques such as mindfulness, which was leading them to church, even if they didn’t actually believe in a Christian god.

Stuart Haynes, a spokesman for the Church of England diocese of Liverpool, said Liverpool’s cathedral, one of the largest in the world, was frequently attended by students looking for a break from stressful studies.

The figures contrast with data presented to the Church of England’s General Synod, which heard on Monday that 81-year-olds were eight times more likely to be going to church than 18-year-olds.