In an independent survey carried out by The River, around 40% of the 60 participants were practicing Christians, with many attending Church and other religious meetings up to four times a week.
A YouGov poll found that Gen Z are responsible for the revival of Christianity in England and Wales, with 37% of 18-24 year olds saying they believe in God. According to Nielsen BookScan Data, UK Bible sales went from £2.69m in 2019, to £5.02m in 2024. The increase has been credited to the doubling in sales of the Good News Bible – the Youth Edition since 2021.
Third year photography student, Em Dyer became a Christian after moving to Kingston University, explaining how it helped to heal her PTSD caused by years of abuse as a teenager: “I tried tarot, I tried manifestation, I even looked into Buddhism. I realised it was not doing anything; it was not fulfilling.”
Research at the University of Oxford and Swansea University found that regular exercise, sleep and attending religious services were strongly correlated with better mental health among young people. Dyer said: “Christianity changed my life, and it’s the realest thing I’ve ever felt.”
Fellow photography classmate, Paddy Maddox, also found Christianity whilst at university: “I never had any Christian influence in my life until I met my friends, Johnny and Lucas. In August, they invited me down to a Christian camp.” Maddox said how he had been interested in the faith for a while, frequently asking his friends questions about the faith. “I felt compassion quite immediately and never looked back,” he explained.
Kingston’s Christian community has grown rapidly, with Dyer saying she thinks it has “quadrupled” over the last year, and she regularly goes to prayer meetings, a discipleship course and on Sundays both Maddox and Dyer attend mass at a church in Hammersmith.
“It’s one of the biggest Gen Z churches, I remember the first time I went, I was in awe at how many young Christians there were. You go to the evening service, and you see like 200, 300 young people,” Dyer said.
According to King’s College lecturer, Dr Edward David, he believes this religious resurgence is down to social media as well as financial and social stresses: “Priests and clerics are telling researchers that they are seeing an influx of young people knocking on their doors because they have encountered a religious idea on Instagram.”
