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A new international study of more than 7,000 young people found that family and friends are far more commonly identified as trusted people for conversations about identity than pastors and religious leaders.
The findings come from The RELATE Project 2026: Connecting with the Next Generation, a global study released by Young Life on September 10, 2026. The research examines relationships, belonging, identity, faith, technology and the growing role of artificial intelligence among young people.
Quick Summary
- Young Life's RELATE Project 2026 surveyed 7,105 people ages 13–24 across 11 countries.
- When asked whom they trusted most when talking about "who you are," 62% selected family and 62% selected friends.
- Only 6% selected pastors and religious leaders.
- Family and friends were also the most commonly identified places of belonging, while 7% identified faith communities.
- The study also found that 35% of young people reported using an AI companion.
- Young Life says the findings point to the continuing importance of authentic, consistent relationships with young people.
What Happened
Young Life released its second global RELATE study on September 10, presenting research into how adolescents and young adults understand relationships, belonging, faith, identity and technology.
The 2026 study surveyed 7,105 adolescents and young adults between the ages of 13 and 24 across the United States, United Kingdom, Argentina, Mexico, Hong Kong, India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The research also included 22 focus groups involving 97 participants.
The research was conducted between November 2025 and January 2026 and builds on Young Life's earlier RELATE research from 2024.
Family and Friends Lead in Trust
One of the study's findings concerns the people young respondents trust most when discussing questions about their identity.
When asked who they trusted most when talking about "who you are," family and friends were each selected by 62% of respondents. Siblings followed at 33%, romantic interests at 21%, grandparents at 14%, and teachers and coaches at 8%.
AI companions were selected by 8%, while pastors and religious leaders were selected by 6%. Online communities and "no one" were each selected by 5%.
The results place pastors and religious leaders among the least-selected options in this particular question.
However, the finding needs to be understood carefully. The study does not establish that only 6% of young people trust pastors, nor does it show that young people generally distrust religious leaders. The question asked respondents whom they trusted most specifically when discussing "who you are."
Where Young People Say They Belong
The study also asked respondents where they felt they "most fit in or belong," allowing participants to select up to two answers.
Across the full sample, 69% selected family and 61% selected friends. School and online communities were each selected by 13%.
Faith communities were selected by 7%, while another 7% said they felt they belonged nowhere. Work was selected by 6%, while 2% identified their neighborhood.
The results differed among religious groups. For example, 12% of Protestant respondents identified their faith community as a place where they most fit in or belong. Among Catholic respondents, 11% selected an online community and 15% selected school, while 73% identified family and 61% identified friends.
These differences show why the overall 7% figure should not be interpreted as a measurement of church attendance or Christian commitment. It reflects responses to a specific question about where young people feel they belong.
Young People Still Want Face-to-Face Relationships
The study presents another important finding alongside the trust and belonging figures: young people continue to express a strong desire for real-world relationships even as digital technology becomes more prominent.
According to Young Life, the average number of close relationships reported by young people declined from 5.3 in 2023 to 4.4 in 2025. Respondents reported having an average of two people they could talk to about things that really matter.
At the same time, 64% selected face-to-face communication as their preferred way of connecting with friends, an increase from 54% in the earlier research.
The study also found that 40% of young people were not fully confident that they had an adult in their lives who was genuinely interested in listening to them.
For building trust with an adult, confidentiality was identified as especially important. Young Life reported that 73% considered keeping what they say private to be extremely or very important.
AI Is Becoming Part of Young People's Relationships
The 2026 RELATE study also examined artificial intelligence for the first time.
Young Life reported that 35% of respondents use an AI companion. Among younger adolescents ages 13–15, the figure increased to 45%.
Among young people who use an AI companion, 60% said they were more comfortable sharing with the AI than with some of their friends or family members.
Young Life said the findings raise questions about what happens when AI begins to occupy a role traditionally filled by human relationships. The organization noted that human relationships require people to learn how to deal with conflict, disappointment, apology and reconciliation.
The research therefore presents a complicated picture: young people are increasingly using digital tools while simultaneously expressing a desire for authentic face-to-face relationships.
What Researchers Are Saying
Kimberly Nollan, Young Life's director of research and practice, said religious leaders seeking to build trust with young people should emphasize listening, empathy, non-judgmental responses and giving young people their full attention.
Young Life's research team describes authentic friendship and consistent adult presence as important parts of connecting with the next generation.
The organization says its goal is not simply to collect data but to use the findings to better understand young people and improve how its leaders and volunteers relate to them.
Why This Matters for Churches
The study does not provide a single explanation for why pastors and religious leaders were selected by only 6% of respondents in the identity question.
It would therefore be too strong to conclude from the research alone that churches are failing young people or that young people no longer trust pastors.
What the findings do provide is a measurable picture of where young people say they find trust and belonging. Family and friends remain central, while faith communities and religious leaders occupy a smaller place in these particular responses.
For churches, the findings raise practical questions about relationships and ministry. Are young people given opportunities to speak honestly? Do they have adults who listen carefully? Do youth leaders know them personally? Do young people experience church as a place where difficult questions can be discussed without immediate judgment?
The survey does not answer those questions, but it gives churches reason to consider them.
Christian Context
The Bible places significant value on listening, wisdom and patient communication. James writes:
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath."
— James 1:19, KJV
For Christian leaders, listening does not mean setting aside biblical truth. It means taking people seriously enough to hear them carefully before responding.
Young people still need the truth of Scripture and the gospel. They also need Christian adults who will walk with them through questions, doubts, struggles and decisions.
Christian discipleship is therefore more than delivering information. It involves teaching, example, correction, encouragement, prayer and relationships.
Paul's instruction to Timothy illustrates this relational dimension of ministry:
"But be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
— 1 Timothy 4:12, KJV
The Christian response to the study should therefore not simply be to ask how churches can attract more young people. It should also be to ask how churches can faithfully know, love, teach and disciple them.
What We Don't Know
The RELATE Project provides useful international data, but it does not represent every young person or every culture.
The study included 7,105 respondents across 11 countries, meaning that many nations and cultural contexts were not included. The research was also conducted by Young Life, a Christian youth ministry organization, as part of its effort to understand the generation it serves.
The research cannot establish why pastors and religious leaders were selected by only 6% of respondents in the identity question.
It also cannot determine from these figures alone whether young people are becoming less committed to Christianity, whether churches are becoming less trusted, or whether individual pastors are succeeding or failing in their ministry.
Those conclusions would require additional research.
What Happens Next
Young Life said it plans to conduct another version of the survey in 2028 and hopes to include additional countries.
In the meantime, the organization says it will use the findings to help inform its work with young people, parents and leaders.
For churches and Christian families, the research provides an opportunity to pay closer attention to how young people experience relationships, trust, belonging and spiritual conversations.
A Call to Listen
The most significant finding may not be the 6% figure by itself.
The broader research shows young people living in an increasingly digital world while continuing to express a desire for authentic human connection.
Family and friends remain the strongest sources of reported trust and belonging. At the same time, many young people say they lack adults who genuinely listen to them, while a growing number are turning to AI companions for conversation and support.
For Christian churches, that creates an important ministry question.
The answer does not necessarily require another app, another social-media strategy or another program.
Sometimes it begins with something much simpler: showing up, listening carefully, opening Scripture and walking faithfully with the next generation.
The RELATE Project does not tell churches everything they need to know about young people.
But it does give Christian leaders another reason to listen.
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