Barna Research: Belief in Jesus Rises, Fueled by Younger Adults

I found it interesting that among the younger generation, it is men that are more likely to identify with Christ. What I find interesting is that back in my teens and early 20's, when I would talk to other young people about Christ, the young men were far more willing to listen and to engage than the young women were. I remember the young women looking at the other girls and smirking, but the young men would ask questions and state their opinions and didn't even seem to care when the girls laughed at Christianity. I often got the impression that the young women were more concerned about what the other girls would think and were afraid to be seen as religious, while the young men felt free to have their own beliefs and opinions. That may have worked in favor of churches when women had peer pressure from other women to be in church, but it seems to be having the opposite effect the last few decades. For years, men didn't feel the need to give into the peer pressure to be in church, but now they don't feel the need to give into any peer pressure to not be in church either.