3 reasons why we’re confident a quiet revival is taking place

Commissioning polling can be nerve-wracking. It’s expensive, and the results you get might not be what you expected, or want. So when the 2024 results of the re-run of our 2018 large Bible attitudes tracker came back we were both stunned and delighted with what we saw. The data showed remarkable openness to the Bible and Christianity among young non-churchgoing adults, growing Bible confidence among Christians, and evidence of the positive impact churchgoing makes to individuals and communities.  

But this is not what grabbed the headlines. The survey also showed a remarkable rise in the number of people saying they regularly go to church, from 8% in 2018 to 12% in 2024. While also seen in older adults, this rise was particularly notable among both men and women aged under 35. It was also seen at scale among the white population, suggesting it’s unlikely to be caused by immigration alone.

This finding has been met with everything from jubilation to cautious optimism to outright scepticism. We too have wrestled with it, but here are three reasons we believe the quiet revival has begun. 

1. The data source. Both surveys were conducted by expert pollsters YouGov, using very large, nationally representative samples and consistent methodology. YouGov is renowned for its accuracy and reliability, producing results trusted by policymakers, academics, and organisations alike. While no polling is ever perfect, both surveys have a high confidence level and low margin of error, meaning they are highly reliable. What’s more, no clear methodological explanations – such as panel changes or participant dropout – account for the scale of the shift from 2018 to 2024. 

2. The data story. Some have suggested our participants have exaggerated their attendance, or even randomly filled in the survey. Surveys do have limitations; we rely on participants giving us an accurate account of how they act and it’s possible participants overstate their church attendance. But if that is occurring, it is radically more pronounced now than in 2018, requiring a rapid transformation of the perception of Christianity whereby young adults are now more likely to falsely claim they attend church weekly, while attending far less frequently, if at all. If this is the case – and it’s very unlikely – it surely still shows something significant about the growing importance and relevance of Christianity today, with considerable opportunity for the Church to meet this growing demand. 

Beyond this, these young churchgoers answer consistently in a way we would expect people with faith to answer. This is not random answering or ‘belonging without believing’. Their responses showed strong belief in God, frequent prayer, and both high Bible engagement and confidence, indicative of active and vibrant faith. 

3. The bigger picture. For over a year prior to the survey’s release, we heard numerous reports of increased church engagement – on university campuses, in chaplaincies, and local parishes. Anecdote must be treated with care, but the volume and consistency of these accounts add colour and encouragement to our findings. Globally, we see similar signs: a 45% rise in adult baptisms in France, increased Bible transformation among Gen Z in the US, and more young male churchgoers in Finland. Across the secular West, the narrative of inevitable church decline is being disrupted. 

Surveys point to societal trends that are otherwise hidden, but they are only ever moments in time. While the scale and longevity of the quiet revival remains to be seen, it is clear something is stirring both within and beyond the Church. Jesus’ words to his disciples come to mind: ‘Do you not say, “Four months more and then the harvest”? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest’ (John 4:35).