Surprisingly high levels of belief in God and experiences of transcendence were found among 18-to-34 year olds, according to the report, ‘Grateful Britain?’ published by the Policy Institute of King’s College, London. This age group was consistently more likely to respond affirmatively than older age groups when asked about feelings of thankfulness, awe, and wonder.
25% of all respondents said that they felt “profound awe or wonder at the universe or nature” at least weekly, a figure that rose to 36% for the 18-to-34 cohort. Overall, 12% said that they never had such feelings.
54% of respondents said, “at one point or another they’ve felt personally guided or watched over by something or someone” and a similar proportion believed there was a “guiding purpose in life, including their own life”, compared with 31% who did not. For the 18-to-34 cohort the figure was as high as 69%.
And 22% said that they felt “suddenly and deeply thankful to be alive” at least weekly, rising to 36% for the 18-to-34s.
So what does this report tell us? Do we just get more cynical as we get older? Maybe. But more importantly, what can we do about it? What could we do to retain the freshness and wonder of youth? When Jesus asked his followers to become like little children, he didn’t mean to be immature or over-dependent on others. Rather he was talking about a simple joy, a sense of wonder, and an openness to learn, contrasting with the pride and self-sufficiency that we adults can easily develop, which hinders true spiritual connection.
Read the story in the Church Times here.