About this study

In 2024, CoGenerate worked with YouGov to conduct a nationally representative survey of 1,500 adults (ages 18 and older) in the U.S. about their religious / spiritual communities, their interaction with older and younger people, and their views on building connections across different age groups. The survey was conducted last fall and was nationally representative by gender, age, race, education and political affiliation.

Our findings reveal a strong appetite for intergenerational connection and collaboration – which we call “cogeneration.” They also identify challenges and opportunities for harnessing cogeneration to support spiritual growth and transform religious life.

We have been reaching out to a group of religious leaders, practitioners, innovators and influencers to discuss the insights in this report and will synthesize what we learn, producing a report later this year on the potential of cogeneration within the faith community.

We hope this work will inspire and equip faith leaders to help generations join forces in new ways – to solve shared problems, combat isolation and polarization, strengthen congregations, and provide a vision for thriving in our new era of age diversity.

If you have thoughts or feedback on this project, please reach out to Eddie Gonzalez, CoGenerate Senior Fellow, at [email protected].

We thank the Templeton Religion Trust for generously supporting this work.

Six Key Insights

Faith communities have the potential to be powerful spaces for intergenerational engagement, but there are challenges to address and, with them, new opportunities. This survey shows that:

1. Religiously engaged respondents value cogeneration – and are doing it in all aspects of life.
2. Cogeneration is an incentive for religiously engaged adults to participate in their religious communities.
3. Cogenerational opportunities are unlikely to draw non-religious people into faith spaces, largely due to distrust of organized religion.
4. Most religiously engaged adults think their communities need more outreach to bring generations together, but struggle to envision new approaches to connecting across generations.
5. Cross-generational mentoring is an appealing approach but often falls short in execution.
6. Cogenerational activities like volunteerism, community service and initiatives that reduce social isolation and loneliness could draw religiously engaged people into the wider community.

Cogeneration is a strong draw for religiously engaged adults.

Four out of five religiously engaged respondents rate connecting generations, helping others, creating a welcoming community, and deepening spiritual practice as top priorities.

Nearly half of the religiously engaged adults surveyed say that cogenerational opportunities would increase their interest in participation in their faith community. They are drawn to these opportunities as a way to enrich perspectives, build community, and pursue personal growth and goals.

Asked which intergenerational activities they are most interested in, respondents list social gatherings, spiritual activities, and community engagement. Specifically, they find outreach that prioritizes helping others, deepening spiritual practice, and creating connection to be the most compelling.