Gen Z May not Believe in God, However, They Fear Hell after Death?!
The claim that Gen Z and Millennials, who most often identify themselves as atheists, fear Hell after death will surely surprise you. But here is what a leading global study found. Gen Z do not believe in God, however, they do believe in God's damnation after death. According to the research, only 18% of Baby Boomers believe in the concept of "the land of the damned", while as many as 32% of Gen Z confirm that they fear the "underworld". And not just Gen Z – Millennials, too!
Is the research reliable?
The results are from the World Values Survey – one of the largest and most widely used academic social surveys worldwide. The survey, conducted by the Institute of Politics at Queen's College London, found that younger generations are more likely to believe in life after death than older ones. In the scope of this analysis, generations are classified based on their birth year. The pre-war generation includes those born before 1945; the Baby Boomer definition refers to those born between 1945 and 1965; Gen X refers people born from 1966 to 1979; Millennials (Gen Y) are those born between 1980 and 1995, and Gen Z includes people born after 1996.
How big is the gap between Gen Z and Baby Boomers?
32% of Gen Z and Millennials fear Hell, while only 24% of the pre-war generation and 18% of Baby Boomers believe that God's damnation awaits them after death. Considering that only 27% of Gen Z and Millennials consider themselves religious, the fear of Hell is quite surprising. In comparison, 46% of the pre-war generation identify themselves as religious. And about 40 years ago (1981) their percentage was 69.
Don’t people believe in heaven, paradise and God any more?
As it turns out – no! From 1981 to 2022, the number of people believing in heaven dropped from 57% to 41%. Belief in God was demonstrated by just over half of those surveyed, while in 1981 believers in God made up three quarters. The study shows that while the cultural influence of organized religion continues to decline, belief in "something beyond this life," belief in the "afterlife" remains strong, especially among the youngest generations. They are not particularly attached to the official religion, but they need to believe that there is "something more to it". Last year, just over 50% of Gen Z and Millennials expressed their belief in life after death. A percentage that is ostensibly higher than the 35% of the Baby Boomers and the 39% of the pre-war generation. Do you also believe in life after death and fear Hell?
