2022 LCMS Youth and Adult Poll Executive Summary

Download the full report here.

About the Poll

The Lutheran Youth and Adult Poll (formerly known as the Lutheran Youth Fellowship Poll) has been conducted every three years at LCMS Youth Gatherings since the 1980s. Over these four decades, tens of thousands of LCMS teenagers have participated in the polls, providing insight into their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.

In July of 2022, 1,744 youth took the poll at the Youth Gathering in Houston, TX. A related poll featuring several questions from the Youth Poll was also conducted among Adult Leaders (n=817) at the Gathering, as well as poll of Young Adult Volunteers (n=392). The whole of the poll gives young people, parents, supportive adults, and the church insight. While the executive summary does not include every finding, it seeks to summaries the most important findings from this poll.

The youth poll seeks to understand the changing complexities of the lives of young people in the church, particularly related to their spiritual beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Additionally, the poll explores aspects of their upbringing and attempts to look ahead to where they think they are going in life. To summarize the results of the poll we will look at these five categories: Spiritual beliefs; Opinions on Cultural “Hot Topics”; Behaviors; Family Life and Home Church; and Looking Ahead.

It is our hope that the poll and its results are able to start important conversation in the church about how to best care for young people in our churches and community.

Download the full report here.

About the author

Julianna Shults is a DCE serving a Program Manager for LCMS Youth Ministry. With a BA in Psychology and a Masters in Community Development, Julianna served congregations in Florida and Chicago. She writes for the Youth E-Source, co-authored Relationships Count from CPH and co-hosts the podcast End Goals. Julianna is a self-proclaimed nerd, coffee snob and obsessive aunt.
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