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Gallup Poll: Young U.S. Men Now Report Higher Religiosity Than Young Women, Reversing Long-Term Gender Gap
A new Gallup poll released April 16, 2026, finds a significant increase in religiosity and religious attendance among U.S. men ages 18-29, particularly Republicans, reversing a 25-year gender gap trend. In contrast, young Democratic men's church attendance continues to fall, while young women's attachment to religion remains steady or declines.
Apr 16, 9:53 AM·2m read4 sources
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A Gallup poll released Thursday reveals a marked rise in religiosity among young men in the United States, with 42% of men ages 18 to 29 saying religion is very important to them, up from 28% in 2022-2023. This increase marks the first time in 25 years that young men have surpassed young women on this measure, reversing a longstanding gender gap in religious importance.
The rise in religiosity among young men is driven largely by Republicans, whose weekly attendance at church, synagogue, mosque, or temple has been increasing steadily since 2019.
Conversely, young Democratic men's attendance at religious services has continued to decline over the same period. Young Democratic women also show a decrease in religious attendance, while young Republican women have seen an increase, with about 6 in 10 attending religious services at least weekly compared to about one-quarter of Democratic women under 30 attending at least monthly.
This gender gap reversal in religiosity is confined to adults under 30; among those aged 30 and older, women remain more religious than men.
The increase among young men contrasts with minimal change in religiosity among older men and women since 2022-2023. Additionally, young women’s attachment to religion has remained steady at about 30%. Political scientist Ryan Burge of Washington University in St.
Pew Research Center surveys from March 2025 provide additional context, showing that young men are more likely than young women to hold conservative moral views on divorce, abortion, and homosexuality. About 4 in 10 men under 30 say divorce is morally wrong compared to 2 in 10 young women, and about half of young men say abortion is morally wrong versus one-third of young women.
A rabbi at a Conservative Judaism congregation in Los Angeles reported steady membership growth since the pandemic and the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. She noted no gender gap in religiosity or attendance within her congregation and emphasized faith’s role in shaping identity amid a polarized world.
