What began as a spark at Asbury University’s campus prayer vigil quickly fanned into a spiritual bonfire, drawing thousands nationwide and beyond to participate in this collective spiritual encounter. This recent outpouring of prayer at Asbury is a tangible example of a trend increasing throughout the country: Americans say they’re more open to exploring their spirituality.

In our latest Barna survey, three out of four U.S. adults (74%) say they want to grow spiritually, and about the same proportion (77%) say they believe in a higher power.

Our collective spiritual chord has resonated even more since COVID-19 hit about 36 months ago: 44 percent of U.S. adults say they are more open to God today than before the pandemic.

What might prompt such expressions of curiosity and openness to faith, whether or not they make headlines? Barna wanted to investigate the different ways people see or describe their own faith today, beyond only checking a box for affiliation or falling into the broader category of Americans who consider themselves “spiritual but not religious.”

In this issue of our Spiritually Open series, we’ll take a deeper look at the data to explore how people see their spirituality and what they’re really searching for.

A Fresh Vocabulary for Spirituality

Spirituality means different things to different people. Caleb, a 25-year-old financial analyst, says he thinks there is a God, or at least a divine being. “The point of a spiritual life is to figure out who or what that is,” he says. “I don't think everyone has that same drive to do that. But I think it's very important. If there is a personal God, which I think I believe there is, then why not get to know them? They're the most powerful thing in the universe. You might as well chase after that.”

Caleb’s openness to pursuing God is emblematic of how Americans describe what spirituality means to them today. When we asked teens and adults in the U.S. to select words that most closely capture how they think about spirituality, they choose spiritual—of course—as well as growing, open and content. Even those of no faith are likely to describe their spirituality as open (26%).

Regardless of their religious identity, Americans gravitate toward a number of depictions of spirituality as something that is in progress—thus, the name of this series, Spiritually Open.

The Soul’s Longings

Beyond the general concepts people use to describe what spirituality means to them, there is wider differentiation in how people describe the aim of their soul searching.

So, what are the desired paths and destinations for people on their spiritual journeys? Mainly, hope and peace. Salvation and guidance are important to people who identify as Christian.

When we ask pastors what they believe people are looking for when they consider their spiritual beliefs, their top responses largely reflect reality. However, pastors perhaps overestimate the centrality of things like community, belonging or feeling known. Certainly, these are often byproducts of or catalysts for spiritual belief and growth—but they aren’t the explicitly stated spiritual aims or goals of most people, Christian or otherwise.

Similarly, people aren’t looking “for life to make sense” or for “answers” the way that pastors might expect. (As we explored in the previous feature on doubt, many people are content with their questions.) Meanwhile, things like growth and health matter more to people (again, Christians and otherwise) than pastors assume.

5 Approaches to Spirituality

Taking the top descriptors that respondents identify to express their spirituality, we created groupings of people who rank the same top words. These sets help illuminate the five most common ways people approach their spirituality.

(Note: Four out of the five groups choose spiritual as a key aspect of describing their spirituality. Because the word bears little significance in terms of defining each of the five groups below, we are focusing our attention on the other descriptors that more clearly define each group.)

So, what traits set these different approaches to spirituality apart? And what are each of these groups searching for in their quest for spirituality? A few themes stand out.

Nonconformists

The largest group, who we'll call Nonconformists, make up 38 percent of the population. People of no faith are especially likely to fall into this decidedly neutral (though not closed-off) category.

Though they are most looking for inner peace—usually the top choice across all groups—Non-conformists are less likely than the other groups to put emphasis on any of the possible spiritual pursuits. Their neutral approach perhaps corresponds with less clarity or decisiveness about the aim of their spiritual journey.

Explorers

About one in five U.S. teens and adults fall into a grouping we think of as Explorers, a curious spiritual disposition that especially appeals to teens and young adults. This group is especially looking for inner peace, healing and growth, signs of a desire for something more.

Devout

Another one-fifth is a group we’ll call Devout. More than one in three practicing Christians is represented here, which makes sense for people who are more certain about and actively following their faith. Accordingly, among the Devout, people are seeking salvation, forgiveness and guidance, some of the distinct messages of the Christian faith.

Mature

Only 15 percent of all respondents fall into the Mature group, though that number rises notably among Boomers (23%) and Elders (26%), who are more likely to self-describe as steady and content in their spirituality. In addition to the widespread desires for peace and hope, Mature people want spirituality that anchors them with truth and purpose.

Doubtful

Finally, we find one in 10 people offers a spiritual self-portrait that we’ll call Doubtful. This skeptical grouping remains pretty rare across faith groups and generations, though 15 percent of Millennials put their spirituality in this dim light.

The Doubtful stand out in their primary longing for forgiveness. They are the only group to choose something other than inner peace as their top spiritual pursuit, and the only group to indicate that a search for meaning shapes their spiritual beliefs.

Together, these spiritual approaches and the descriptions of what they are searching for offer a picture of spirituality today. Beyond religious identity or faith practice alone, this is the emotional atmosphere in which people are seeking something more—and in which churches can help them find it.

“For many people, spiritual interest doesn't come in the form of ‘I have an interest in God.’ It comes in the form of ‘I have an interest in meaning. I want meaning in life,’” says Walter Kim, President of the National Association of Evangelicals. “And so when a lot of the spiritually interested people that I've encountered talk about their spiritual interests, they're not first and foremost talking about it in terms of does God exist and will he listen to my prayers? They're talking about is there a higher meaning to my life? Is there a purpose for which I'm living? There's a longing for belonging, for meaning, for purpose. That kind of more expanded view of spiritual interest provides all sorts of openings for the good news of Jesus.”

Joining People on Their Spiritual Journey

Americans today say they have an increased openness to spirituality. But what they’re in search of and how they approach soul searching varies widely. Understanding these key differences will help faith leaders and evangelists stay attuned to the unique perspectives and spiritual longings of every individual they encounter.

To get a pulse on your congregation’s beliefs and perspectives on Jesus with the Jesus Pulse Assessment, or gauge how equipped your people feel to share Jesus with spiritually open non-Christians with the Sharing Jesus Assessment.

For more insights on how to join people on their spiritual journey, see the field guide, “What Spirituality Means to Americans Today."