{"id":61653,"date":"2025-08-29T15:30:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T13:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/?p=61653"},"modified":"2025-08-29T15:30:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T13:30:15","slug":"60-of-young-atheists-pray-in-times-of-difficulty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/08\/29\/60-of-young-atheists-pray-in-times-of-difficulty\/","title":{"rendered":"60% of Young Atheists Pray in Times of Difficulty"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"young<\/p>\n

Even atheists pray<\/strong>. Yes, and it’s nothing new. The finding emerges from the academic survey \u201cFootprints\u201d<\/strong> and confirms previous data. Because atheism<\/strong> is more often on the lips than deep in the heart.<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

The beauty of reality<\/strong> is that it\u2019s always more complex, nuanced, and sometimes even paradoxical than our frameworks allow.<\/p>\n

According to findings presented at the academic conference \u201cFootprints\u201d<\/strong><\/em>, held at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, a remarkable 62%<\/strong> of young people who identify as atheists or non-believers say they pray occasionally.<\/p>\n

The data was reported on July 24 during a broader reflection on the methodologies of sociological research<\/strong> applied to youth religiosity, in the context of the Youth Jubilee<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The survey<\/a><\/em><\/strong> involved around 5,000 young people across eight countries (Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and was presented by Norberto Gonz\u00e1lez Gaitano<\/b>, Professor of Public Opinion<\/i> at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.<\/p>\n

Also present were Jonathan Evans<\/strong> (Pew Research Center) and Daniel Moulin<\/strong> (University of Cambridge).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Young atheists pray\u201462% in times of need<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Such a high percentage of atheists inclined to pray<\/mark><\/strong> may come as a surprise only to those who see religion as a rigid barrier between believers and non-believers.<\/p>\n

In reality, just as believers have doubts<\/strong>, so too do non-believers.<\/p>\n

During the Expert Meeting<\/i>, participants emphasized the need to move beyond overly mechanistic<\/strong> and quantitative sociological approaches, which risk reducing spirituality<\/strong> to a set of codifiable behaviors.<\/p>\n

Youth religiosity, in particular, is far more malleable<\/strong>, shaped by personal experiences, family context, and inner crises\u2014factors that can hardly be captured by numbers alone.<\/p>\n

Prayer<\/strong>, for example, emerges not as a systematic or dogmatic act, but as a spontaneous reflex of need<\/strong>, hope, or gratitude\u2014even in the absence of structured belief.<\/p>\n

Specifically, the study found that 48%<\/strong> of young atheists pray occasionally, 62%<\/strong> in times of difficulty, 48%<\/strong> out of gratitude, 47%<\/strong> for everyday problems, 42%<\/strong> believe in life after death, and 37%<\/strong> ask believers to pray for them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Findings confirmed by earlier studies<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

These findings are consistent with previous research<\/strong> we\u2019ve reported on.<\/p>\n

Again in 2018<\/strong>, ComRes<\/i> reported<\/a><\/em><\/strong> that 20%<\/strong> of self-identified non-believers pray to God\u2014a figure that, in light of the \u201cFootprints\u201d findings, now seems conservative.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Youth and faith: recent numbers<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Other notable conclusions from the Footprints<\/i> study include a global 35% increase<\/strong> in youth spirituality over the past five years\u2014even in European countries\u2014and a quiet revival<\/strong> in sacramental participation among youth in secularized societies.<\/p>\n

The study also revealed a stark divergence in moral views<\/strong> between believers and non-believers on issues such as pornography, surrogacy, the death penalty, and war.<\/p>\n

Regarding sexual morality<\/strong>, few young Catholics follow the Church\u2019s teachings, but those with greater knowledge of and adherence to the faith are marked by regular religious practices<\/strong> (daily prayer, Sunday Mass, and confession).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Returning to the key point, the real news isn\u2019t that over half of \u201catheists pray\u201d<\/strong>, but that prayer endures as a universal human gesture<\/strong>, even where God seems absent. The religious sense is inextinguishable.<\/p>\n

Perhaps we are not living in an age of disbelief, but in a time of restless searching<\/strong>, where the line between belief and unbelief is increasingly permeable.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re always reminded that atheism<\/strong> resides far more on the lips than in the depths of the heart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even atheists pray. Yes, and it’s nothing new. The finding emerges from the academic survey \u201cFootprints\u201d and confirms previous data.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":273,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1620,1619,1622,1621],"class_list":["post-61653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-atheist-prayer","tag-atheists-pray","tag-pontifical-university-of-the-holy-cross","tag-young-atheists"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n60% of Young Atheists Pray in Times of Difficulty - UCCR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Even atheists pray. Yes, and it's nothing new. 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In 2014<\/strong>, for instance, a Pew Research Center study<\/a><\/em><\/strong> revealed that 15%<\/strong> of non-believers pray frequently, while 40%<\/strong> believe in God\u2014demonstrating that the label doesn\u2019t necessarily mean a total rejection of the spiritual realm.<\/p>\n