Gen Z is not supposed to be the religious generation. Pollsters have spent two decades describing this cohort as the most secular in American history, the one that would finally break the chain of belief passed down from their grandparents. New Harris Poll data shared with this publication suggests otherwise: 33% of Gen Z identifies as religious, compared with 18% of Boomers, 22% of Gen X and 19% of Millennials—making Gen Z the most religious-identifying generation in the survey. Their “neither religious nor spiritual” rate, 19%, is the lowest of any generation measured, lower than Boomers at 23%.
At the same time, Gen Z has become the organizing force behind a nationwide revolt against AI data centers, a movement that has blocked or delayed more than $228 billion in projects since the start of 2025, according to research group Data Center Watch. More than 500 localities across 39 states have now passed bans, moratoriums or other restrictions on data center construction, and 843 opposition groups are active in 49 states.
