Gen Z Australians who identify as religious and spiritual are more likely feel they can make a real difference in the world than those who are neither religious or spiritual.
In the Australian Community Survey, Australians were asked about whether they felt they can make a real difference in the world. They were also asked if they agreed that people can come together to make the world a better place.
We dug into the detailed data to learn about the views of the Generation Z cohort - young adults under 30 years and found that they were more likely than all Australians to feel they can make a real difference in the world. Some 48% of Gen Z agreed they could make a real difference compared with 37% of all Australians.
We then explored the difference that religious and spiritual identity makes by comparing two groups of Gen Z:
1. Religious and Spiritual: Those who identified as religious and spiritual
2. Neither: Those who identified as neither religious or spiritual
Results founds that a person's spiritual identity was linked to whether you feel you can make a difference. Some 66% of Gen Z who were actively religious and spiritual affirmed the statement 'I feel that I can make a real difference in the world', with 54% who strongly agreed and 12% agreed. In contrast, only 37% of Gen Z who were neither religious or spiritual affirmed the same statement, with 32% who strongly agreed and 5% agreed.
We also asked a different question to focus on connectedness and community. “I believe that people can come together to make the world a better place”. The increased positive response is quite extraordinary. Seven in 10 Australians believe people can come together to make the world a better place. There was no significant difference between age groups and between different religious identities.
Practise hope together. Hope can occur in isolation, but it grows when connected to a supportive and inspiring collective. A community of hopeful people can inspire you by encouraging you in your goals, helping you pivot when you encounter obstacles, or by simply reminding you that overcoming difficulty is possible. If you feel powerless about systemic issues, joining forces with a group of people who share your desire for change can increase your hope—and increase the likelihood of change.
Note: These analyses were conducted on a combined sample from the 2024 and 2025 Australian Community Surveys.
