This research report that just dropped is well worth your time if you work with, parent or care about Generation Alpha (young people born in 2010 and later).

The Fuller Youth Institute, a research centre out of Fuller Theological Seminary, surveyed nearly 3,000 teenagers aged 13-17 across the United States.

Published in 2026, The FYI Report on Gen Alpha & Faith gives us insight into how teenagers today think about identity, belonging, purpose and faith. Here are the key findings.

6 things the report wants you to know

Family is still the biggest influence on teenage faith. Not influencers, not pastors, not their friends – parents and caregivers top the list across every racial group. Grandparents also significantly influence faith as well.

Another key insight addresses adults’ common misconception that the influence of family will wane as compared to friends in the older teen years; this trend just doesn’t show up in the data.

Home is where teens feel most like themselves. When asked where they feel they belong, find purpose and feel most at ease – home was the top answer consistently.

The report revealed that “Church” didn’t make the top six in any of those categories. That’s a warning and a good reason to begin exploring how to make youth group and ministry feel more like home.

Most teens are more open to faith than we often assume. Only 12% said they have zero interest in religion or spirituality. Even among those with no religious affiliation, more than half showed some openness.

Faith is increasingly hybrid. 1 in 3 teens learn about faith online more than in person, while 1 in 4 say their faith has changed because they learnt things or met people online.

For teenagers without a church background, social media is often their first encounter with spiritual content. When we ignore digital spaces for ministry and evangelism, we cede it to whoever shows up there instead.

41% of Nones say they aren’t interested in religion at all. That sounds scary until we realise that over half are potentially spiritually open. Few sound hostile; most simply haven’t had a reason to engage.

And they might not be as far outside the church as we think. They could be sitting in our cell groups right now, halfway in, waiting to see if this is a place where their questions are safe. Non-religious teenagers need us to listen, not assume.

Gen Alpha crave relationships with consistent adults who listen and follow through. Young people are looking for mentors and guides who are trustworthy – those who listen without judging.

We listen and we don’t judge

The point about non-judgmental adults is the one insight I keep coming back to. I have a pastor in my church who always repeats this adage: people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. I used to think that was a nice sentiment. I think it’s actually a research finding now.

I once had a younger person in my group who, I later learned, never even believed in Jesus in the first place. He only kept coming because of his family and a sense of fear. The discussion we had when I found out about his unbelief was long and painful… but this guy stayed on. Not because I had convinced him (I still haven’t), but because I listened and he knew that I cared for him.

The Fuller report found that two-thirds of teenagers report spiritual growth when they share their beliefs and are received with genuine listening — compared to only one-third who say the same after hearing a sermon.

Listening isn’t just the pastoral thing to do, it’s a catalyst for spiritual formation.

What the data actually says about non-judgmental adults

When teens were asked what makes an adult trustworthy, the top five responses were:

• They listen without judging.
• They follow through on what they say.
• They respect my views even when they disagree.
• They actions match their values.
• They know me well.

Notice what’s not on that list? Years of ministry experience. Programme quality. These things are good, but they are not primary concerns in this regard.

Additionally, the barrier to conversation that teens cited most? Fear of being judged. So if cell group is always as quiet as a library, we need to assess how we might make such spaces safer and warmer. And when asked what faith communities could do better in, the answer was unambiguous: be more welcoming and less judgmental.

All this to say, Gen A is not asking for adults who have everything figured out. They’re asking for adults who will stay in the room with them as they figure it out, patiently listening, guiding and loving them as the years roll by.

What this might look like here in Singapore

Consider a cell group leader with a group of upper secondary kids she meets fortnightly. They’re tired from school, CCA and tuition. The group chat is a ghost town because everyone’s mugging for common tests. When they do show up on Saturday afternoon, they’re there but not really there.

The temptation, or the easy thing, is to fill the session with content. A devotional, a discussion question, a takeaway. To make the most of the time with something productive.

But what if the most formative thing she could do is to ask one question and then stop talking? What’s been the hardest part of your week? And then actually listen. Not to respond, not to redirect, not to unearth the principle or takeaway — but just to hear them.

That’s not a small thing. For a teenager who moves between school, home and devices in a loop, an adult who is fully present and genuinely unbothered by what they share is increasingly rare. And according to this research, it is precisely this rarity that makes it so powerful.

This isn’t an argument against content, structure or spiritual disciplines. Scripture, prayer and community have their role to play in spiritual formation. But even the best content passes through a relationship. If a teenager doesn’t trust the adult in the room, the content doesn’t land. So we need to be present first.

Keep the door open

My guy still hasn’t believed. But he’s still hanging around. Maybe that’s where we start… not with the right answers, but with an open door.

I hope he walks through it. I’ll be trying to make a warm room inside.