The Faith Gap: How Advocacy Is Missing What Matters to Gen Z

For a lot of Gen Z and Gen Alpha, faith isn’t a political signal—it’s a core part of their identity. That deep connection between spirituality and values is a major, often overlooked, opportunity for advocacy communications.

In this episode, host Kaitlin Funaro sits down with Derwin Aikens to unpack how younger audiences are thinking about religious identity and the power of faith as a values framework that shapes how people see the world and their role in it.

For younger audiences, spirituality can be a compelling entry point to conversations from immigration to climate justice and racial equity because it connects directly to their moral lens.

This conversation is a part of our series on Youth Research: Identity, Culture & Issue Advocacy RALLY produced with Rachel Janfaza of The Up & Up. You can check out all of our insights on our website.

In this episode:

• How young people connect with faith and spirituality
• How faith + identity are interconnected
• Why religion isn’t a partisan signifier for young people
• Why the rise of the “religiously unaffiliated” (now about 29% of Americans) doesn’t necessarily mean younger generations are less spiritual.
• How organizations can explore using faith-based messaging to reach younger audiences