Evidence of ‘Faith Restored?’

A report released March 5 by Cardus, in partnership with the Canadian Bible Society, is challenging widely held assumptions about the steady decline of religion in Canada, particularly among younger generations.

Drawing on three years of polling data from the Angus Reid Institute, the report, “Faith Restored?” finds that while Canada is not experiencing the kind of religious resurgence recently reported in the United Kingdom and the United States, there are emerging signs that the long-term decline in religious belief and practice might be slowing, especially among young adults.

According to the data, 59% of Canadians aged 18 to 34 say they believe in God or a higher power, compared to 63% across the general population. The findings suggest that younger Canadians are not significantly more secular than older generations, a contrast to the common narrative that religiosity fades predictably with age.

Ray Pennings, executive vice-president of Cardus and co-author of the report, said the results point to a more nuanced reality than either decline or revival. “There are encouraging signs when it comes to young Canadians and religion, but we need to qualify that,” Pennings said. “It’s not quite the revival that some have described in the U.K. and U.S., but neither is it a simple continuation of decline.”

One of the more notable findings relates to patterns of religious service attendance. While overall weekly attendance has declined from 15% in 2017 to 12% today, the rate among Canadians aged 18 to 34 has remained stable at 16% over the same period. “In the context of overall decline, (the attendance of) young people (is) not declining,” Pennings said. “That suggests there is something different happening within that demographic.”

The authors noted significant behavioral shifts within younger age groups, which they described along a “spectrum of spirituality,” measuring not only religious service attendance but also prayer, the reading of sacred texts, belief in an afterlife, and reported religious experiences. Respondents who engage in most or all of these practices were classified as “religiously committed.” The findings suggest fewer individuals fall in the moderate or occasional religious engagement, while a growing share fall into either highly committed or largely disengaged categories. “What we are seeing among younger demographics is that those who are engaged are often more deeply engaged,” Pennings said.

The Canadian findings differ from developments reported in the United Kingdom where recent studies suggest that young adults are now among the most likely to express belief in God and to pray regularly; and from reports in the United States, where long-standing declines in religious participation appear to have leveled off.

Pennings cautioned against drawing direct comparisons, noting that interpretations of international data remain contested, but said the Canadian data indicates a potential turning point. “You want to be cautious about over-interpreting it,” he said. “But when you see multiple indicators trending in a similar direction, it does suggest that something is happening.”

Observations from ministry contexts across Canada appear to align with these findings, even if they are not yet fully reflected in large-scale data.

Brian Bork, campus ministry coordinator with Resonate Global Mission, said he has seen a growing openness to faith among university students, particularly in the form of curiosity about Christian community and practice. “We are seeing students who are interested in questions of meaning, belonging, and spirituality, even if they are not coming with a clear religious background,” Bork said.

In large and often impersonal university settings, Bork said, groups offering hospitality and relational depth can be especially significant. “A lot of our ministries would tell stories of students who are not Christians but are showing up and participating because they find it to be a warm and welcoming place,” he said.

International students are a particularly important part of this trend, Bork noted. Many arrive in Canada from contexts where religious practice is more visible and are more inclined to seek out faith communities as a source of connection and stability. “They are often looking for community and a sense of belonging after being uprooted from what is familiar,” Bork said.

Both the report and those working in ministry suggest that younger Canadians’ openness to faith might be connected to broader social conditions, including rising levels of loneliness, social fragmentation, and a search for meaning in a rapidly changing cultural landscape.

Pennings pointed to a longstanding theological insight to describe this dynamic. “There is a restlessness that people experience,” he said, referencing Augustine’s observation that human beings ultimately find their rest in God. “We are seeing signs of that restlessness among younger Canadians.”

For churches and faith communities, the report’s findings raise a possible alternative to the assumed inevitability of secularization, provoking questions about how best to respond to a generation that appears neither fully disengaged nor fully committed, but in many cases open and searching.