The news can be hard to engage with. Sometimes it can feel easier to bury our heads in the sand and ignore the tragedy, fear and division exposed to us daily, at the click of a button.
We are bombarded with headlines highlighting the polarisation and division cutting across all areas of life. Communities are fraught, the gap between the political left and right is widening and the trending cultural stories of the last few months reflect something stark. There is a deepening rift between young men and women.
The Evangelical Alliance recently surveyed just over 600 18–34 year old Christians to understand how they engage with the church and the world around them. Where do they get their news? What are the biggest issues they see in society today? The results indicate something of the differences between men and women and the impact of this widespread polarisation, but also act as a reminder that as Christians we can speak into a divided world with the better story.
Two different internets?
When we asked “where do you get your news?”, we found that women were significantly more likely to engage with BBC News (at 40% of women compared to 28% of men), while men were nearly three times more likely to get news from X (formerly Twitter) at 12% of men compared to 4% of women.
In many ways, this isn’t particularly surprising, as nearly twice as many men as women are on X. However, these statistics reflect something of the political and cultural landscape that young adults find themselves in. X is a debate-oriented platform with an algorithm that amplifies divisive content. Essentially, news is consumed through the lens of someone else’s opinion or understanding of events. BBC news is generally thought to be a neutral platform despite receiving criticism from both the left and right for perceived bias towards the other. Engaging with such contrasting platforms will inevitably impact the way news is processed and judgments are formed.
“Men and women are looking at very different internets now”, said Emily Lawford when discussing her recent New Statesman article ‘Meet the angry young women’, which details the opinions of young women when it comes to men, politics and their hopes for the future. Algorithms tailor different content to men and women and therefore we have a chasm emerging between the content they engage with.
Algorithms tailor different content to men and women and therefore we have a chasm emerging between the content they engage with.”
Other faiths, other worries
In answer to the question “do you regularly come across content that promotes other faiths online?”, we found that men were nearly twice as likely to see posts promoting Islam (56%) while women were nearly twice as likely to see content relating to alternative spirituality (60%). This includes things such as manifesting and crystals. These are two very different belief systems, and it would be naïve for us to downplay the impact of this content. Young men and women are worrying about different things, have contrasting priorities and, within our churches, we must acknowledge this, helping people come together as church family despite opposing views.
While single-sex discipleship events can be a wonderful opportunity to come together as men or women to share the struggles and joys of life, maybe we need to get better at engaging with the issues that are particularly impacting the other gender. We don’t want siloes in church families but are called to be ‘one body’ (Romans 12:5). Our society is so fractured that, whatever our age, we need to learn to love those we disagree with – even though this can be costly and painful.
The question “what do you feel are the biggest issues in society?” allowed respondents to share their biggest concerns. While many themes were cited, a few trends became clear. Issues relating to individualism and selfishness, mental health and loneliness, political or social division and social media or technology came out on top. These trends point to embedded problems, all of which the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring light and truth into.
A call to relationship
The generation that grew up online, with smartphones, is calling out the associated issues. While these may appear to be separate concerns, they are entirely interconnected. Social media, loneliness, political division and individualism can all contribute to and exacerbate each other. Through relationship, we can ask each other which problems are particularly resonating and pointing to the hope of Jesus and how He offers comfort to all. Whether the young people sitting next to us in church are scrolling through content that promotes manifesting or Islam, voting for the same party as us or completely differently, or ignoring the news entirely, we need to be ready to meet them where they are.
Whether the young people sitting next to us in church are scrolling through content that promotes manifesting or Islam, voting for the same party as us or completely differently, or ignoring the news entirely, we need to be ready to meet them where they are. ”
Young people may well be engaging with different internets, but the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection speaks into all online avenues. Young adults are diagnosing these problems, but is the UK church ready to effectively pastor and disciple those who are struggling in the wake of them? The good news of Jesus Christ is the one thing that will not fail to shine light into the darkness, and we must, together, offer this hope to all those we encounter.
This article expands the findings of our latest report: Faith in Action.
Faith in Action report
How do Christian young adults experience and live out their faith?
