When asked to describe their spiritual experiences some responses from Gen Z young adults stand out. They report fewer spiritual experiences themselves, though they know someone who has had one or they believe it is possible to occur.
In our Australian Community Survey in 2024, Gen Z respondents were aged under 29. So what do these younger Australians express about their spirituality?
Most have not had a mystical or supernatural experience
A sample of 1212 people were asked "Have you ever had a mystical or supernatural experience, either positive or negative, about which you have no doubts it was real?"
Some 23% of Gen Z's say yes, they have personally had a spiritual experience such as this, compared to 25% of all Australians.
Whereas, some 66% say they have not had this type of experience, compared to 64% of all Australians.
But could it happen?
Do they believe it could happen even if they've not experienced it themselves?
When digging deeper we see that a higher proportion of Gen Z say "no, but I know someone who has" (16% compared to 9% of all Australians).
A lower proportion deny the possibility of such experiences, with only 19% of Gen Z saying "no, and I don't think such experiences occur". This compares with 25% of all Australians who deny the occurence of such things.
