I picked up the Kindle version of Jana Riess’ new book The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church. and skimmed through it. The book contains data, charts, and personal anecdotes from an extensive study of over 1,000 LDS and former LDS millennials.
This is a groundbreaking book that we have anticipated for a while. I think this will be very helpful for LDS leadership to understand concerns and motivational factors for millennials (and many just older and younger) on why they stay or leave the church.
Riess and her co-researcher Benjamin Knoll used the definition for millennial as born between 1980 and 1998.
I hope to do a more thorough treatment of this research in the future, but for now, I will list some of the key takeaways I got through skimming through.
Millennials are not as sure about their testimony.
70% of millennials answered yes to “Do you know God exists and have no doubts about it?”, compared to 85% of Baby Boomers and 76% of GenX.
Millennials are less literal about their testimony.
For a question with literalness at the core, the range varied more. “Jesus Christ was literally resurrected and rose from the dead.” Boomers: 83%, GenX: 70%, Millennials: 57%. (these are all who self identified as Mormons for these questions–I’ll note if it’s including or isolating former Mormons or non-Mormons)
Millennial Mormons feel they are part of a culture of responsibility.
Due to being raised in larger-than-average families where they’re asked to pitch in for family duties more, and church activities like Scouts, service projects, and preparing for missions, LDS millennials feel they were raised with a higher than average responsibility level.
Millennials that served missions view them positively.
Here’s a cool chart that I loved showing the high regard both current and former Mormons have for their mission experience. This includes those who came home early and charts the answers for “very positive” and “somewhat positive” for the question What impact did your mission have on the following.
Millennials are not so sure about the temple and garments.
They came in much lower on all the questions related to how comfortable they are with the temple ceremony, wearing endowments, attending the temple often, etc. Interestingly, GenX’ers came in closer to millennials than the older Boomer generation on these.
Males doubt more.
Male millennials averaged about 10-12 points higher on testimony related questions, ie “Is the Mormon Church the only true faith”, “Joseph Smith was a prophet”, etc. For example, the question “God has a plan for my life and I will be happier if I follow that plan.” Males: 60% answered “confident and know this is true” compared to 73% of females.
Millennials differ from other groups in what they think is the best aspect of the Mormon Church.
Their top three: emphasis on Jesus Christ, families can be together, peace that faith brings in hard times.
Millennials vary most from older generations on social issues.
This is probably the key takeaway. They will not stand for female inequality, racism, and discrimination of LGBTQ. They range 20-30 points difference on these types of issues compared to the Boomer category.
Millennials don’t keep commandments as much: tithing, law of Chastity, Word of Wisdom.
For example 39% of self defined Millennial Mormons drink coffee compared to 24% of Boomers. GenX’ers are more in line with Millennials on this, at 40%. Blame the Millennials’ parents I guess.
Millennials trust their own personal authority more than church culture on traditionally Mormon but non-commandment topics.
Not surprisingly, Millennials are much more likely to trust their own moral authority and go against the mainstream on topics like: watching R-rated movies, voting Republican, viewing America as superior, Sabbath activities, etc.
When people leave the Mormon Church, they often turn atheist.
Only 47% of former Mormons answer “Confident and Know This is True” to the question “Is God real?”
When women leave: more likely because of judgement/social issues. When men leave: lack of positive experiences in church, faith crisis.
When former Mormons were asked what could have helped you to stay, the top answers for females were: “if ward members had been more loving and less judgmental” and “if the church had more inclusive positions on social issues such as same-sex marriage or women’s roles n the church.” For males, the top two answers were “if I had more enjoyable experiences attending church” and “if the church had provided better answers to my questions on faith crisis”.
So, through Jana Riess, the Millennials have spoken. I think part of the difference in these polls is simple age difference. As we age, we have different perspective and different things are important to us. But I think a lot of this is a very real perspective difference that Millennials have, which if the church wants to remain strong in future generations, it must adapt and grow.
Wheat & Tares 
I don’t think it’s simply an age difference. We don’t have these exact poll questions over time, but looking at ARIS and Pew polls it honestly seems like Millennials are simply disengaged far more across the board than Gen-X was at equivalent times. If Gen-X and Baby Boomers seem more devout, it’s also possible that those less committed have simply left the cohort, thereby leaving a more devout group. Jana talked about that a little bit in her SLTrib Podcast last week as she worries that may happen with Millennials.
I agree with Clark, the Boomer cohort is simply those that stayed and thus skews the poll results. Young Millenials haven’t left yet, but even that doesn’t quite capture it — they never embraced Mormonism. What does not come via Facebook and Twitter does not exist; everything worth learning can be gotten from Youtube.
I’ve not been very successful trying to explain to my wife NOT to buy books for our daughters. Millenials do not use books. *I* don’t use books very much. Got some automobile maintenance work to do? Hello Youtube!
Someone out there knows how to get a stubborn disk brake rotor off the hub and there will be a Youtube video.
That being the case, Latter-day Saints can reach Latter-day Aints via Youtube videos especially if you ditch “churchspeak”: That annoying tendency to multiply many words (such as “lead, guide and direct us” when just one of those words would suffice.
I’m a bit put off by the use of the word “know”. If 70 percent of millennials “know” that God exists, that’s still a huge percentage. I would like to see more nuanced questions. Does anyone know why Jana used “know” instead of “believe”? Would that be because Mormons often don’t seem to understand the difference between knowing and believing and she thought that’s the term they’d recognize? Just wondering.
Brother Sky. Blame that on me. I’m sure I”m being loose with my paraphrasing. I think it was more like the question was describe which category fits best and the “I know” was one of five they could pick.
I really am interested in reading this book/kindle. As a 60+ year old boomer who has had one of his millenial children resign from the church, I definitely see the big difference in the generations. I agree with so many of the premises/conclusions that can be drawn from this data. I am also fascinated by Dr. Nelson, and how much he seems to be listening to all the various research and modifying church policies/practice and maybe doctrine (?) to try and stem the flow from the church.
As a more nuanced/liberal member of the church, I have also been thinking about those of us who are in our later years, but internally are perhaps as unsettled in the faith as our younger millenials. I have spent my entire life in the church, served a mission,married in the temple , and served in a bishopric. However, I feel that the church offers so little in the second half of life, in both growth opportunities, service, and doctrinal teachings. I have also evaluated so much of what I have been taught and how the church behaves that I am literally just going to church to keep the status quo at home, and because, hey, it’s my tribe. Were I to be interviewed, I think that I would sound much more like a millenial, but am not going to screw up my life, my family’s life, and neighbors (utah mormons) by bailing out of the church. With a 2-hour block now and a very light “calling”, I tend to live the church more how I want to and not how others want to dictate how I do. While I don’t believe all the truth claims and the whole narrative, I find church members to be some of the most giving, lovely people around, and overall, the church is as good as any other religion out there.
I believe that since I feel this way, that there are surely many others in my age group that do as well. There are many who just would not rather rock the boat and willing to just put in the time fairly minimally. I refuse to be guilted with the “endure to the end” rhetoric, when I have given around $250,000 to the church in tithing and have had great experiences helping raise a lot of pretty good kids in the ward in multiple callings.
So bottom line, I get the decrease in church activity and reasons to leave, and expect that after my generation dies off, there will be even more who will leave without us around, either so they won’t disappoint their parents or some such reasons.
“I think part of the difference in these polls is simple age difference. As we age, we have different perspective and different things are important to us.” This is a crucial point in any study examining generational differences. For this reason, I hope this study gets repeated every decade or so.
Millennials aren’t lazy. Young people are and have ever been so. Boomers aren’t cantankerous. Old people are and have always been so. I’d like to see how that pans out for commandment-keeping, faith, tolerance, etc.
I’m not sure if anyone heard Bill Reel’s interview of Jim Bennett. I finished part 1 and must say that it was so refreshing to hear intelligent, civil dialogue that covered substantive issues. I have a lot of respect for Jim Bennett, even though I may not agree with a lot of his assertions. One point that resonated with me was that we are in a very awkward phase of trying to fit a new paradigm into the old box and it is not really working right now, but we’re trying (he was talking about E. Corbridge’s talk at BYU).
This study shows that the paradigm has shifted, there’s no going back. Millenials (and a lot of GenXers and Boomers). In earlier generations “the brethren have asked us to . . .” was good enough for most people. Now younger people (and some cheeky older ones) are asking pointed questions about things like the temple, coffee and garments and not getting good answers. Without compelling reasons why, a lot of people view these things as suggestions.
The Church is definitely changing, the big concern I see is not alienating the true blue orthodox members who are the the most dedicated and the backbone of the Church. I suspect that when these changes come, they will be done in a very subtle way that leaves the liberals more room for interpretation and the conservatives enough ammo to keep their world view. For example, what if the temple recommend question asked: “Do you strive to stay in good physical health, living the principles outlined in The Word of Wisdom and other scriptures?” One person could see this as meaning, do you abstain from tobacco, alcohol, tea and coffee and others could see this as giving them permission not to feel guilty about drinking coffee in public. Or, “Do you find meaningful ways to wear the temple garment throughout your life, as counseled in the endowment ceremony?”
Gosh, Felix, I hadn’t thought of myself as a “cheeky” septuagenarian. Probably should have. Of course, I knew a number of them in two generations prior to me who were also “cheeky.” I remain unconvinced that its a new thing though it may be more widespread than formerly.
I concur with JR. Cheeky describes many of my ancestors going all the way back to Europe. They tended not to be tribal or obedient to anyone but at the same time not deliberately disobedient or defiant.
As time heals, so does the creation of understanding; based upon age and experience within it and when we come out the other end of this experience it will be our faith that propels us forward . Age is but a state of the mind in time, therefore each person can choose to have faith in the kingdom that Jesus spoke of; or not, yet none shall escape the death process. It matters not what age group, for all are corps walking until the body cannot support existence in time, then it is that which we are inside that takes flight. Our history enables us to compare others that have walked this walk, and the teachings from those enable the future from its whisper to the now. This is the last moments of this last day, and none shall stop it as Joseph Smith told us and in those revealing from that Spirit kingdom it is unvarnished truth that should govern our conduct. Amen
Everyone that has life, shall continue in life, yet it is life abundant which teaches that which is first shall be last and that which is in shall be outward. Twenty-one centuries ago the Son walked among men as the son of man, and humans have forgotten this in many ways, yet the Son came to save a Universe, not simply the Soul-ful in the human species. Lift the spiritual eye to that which is he – that is Him Who Is and know the Lord of Spirit, for the Eternal Father has already touched each of you. Amen
It appears that the prison guards have allowed one of the Lafferty bros or Warren Jeffs internet access.
I might have to leave if this guy keeps on commenting. What you have written is complete gobbledygook man.
I love Zach‘s hilariousity, feel like Bryant above was describing me and cherish the moments when I have time to catch up on W&T. Thanks to all posters and commenters – Amen.
For those wondering why Jana used the word “know” has anyone heard the phrase “I know the Church is true…” The Church puts “knowing” at the top of the Mormonism priority list.