55% Younger Adults Prefer Smaller Churches

It’s a massive change that few church leaders are noticing.

For decades, the conventional wisdom was simple: younger generations flocked to bigger churches with contemporary music, better tech, and full-service programming. That assumption may now be outdated. According to a groundbreaking 2023 national study of churchgoers, a majority of 18- to 34-year-olds—exactly 55%—say they prefer smaller churches.

And this isn’t just some internet poll or denominational one-off. The finding comes from This Place Means Everything to Me: Key Findings from a National Survey of Church Attenders in Post-Pandemic United States, published by PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute) and the New York-based nonprofit organization, Faith Communities Today (FACT).

The survey is large, recent, and credible. Conducted in late 2023, it offers one of the most detailed snapshots of what church life looks like post-pandemic, with a nationally representative sample across regions, ethnicities, and denominations.

The phrase “smaller churches” was clearly defined