Seeking signs of hope among young Americans

The surge of the crowd bubbles with excitement, youth, and a freedom that cannot be contained. They are not gathered for a football game or a concert, but rather for Mass. During the first week of January 17,000+ young Catholic college students from around the country travel great lengths to worship Jesus and discover more about their faith. 

Don’t they get enough lectures in school? Maybe, but what awaits during the week at FOCUS’ SEEK conferences is much more than intellectual. It’s a genuine posture of the heart. More and more young people are choosing traditional values. This renewal of culture starts at the crux of Christianity.

Jesus is having a moment 

Jesus is having a moment, even ChatGPT says so. This is an abridged version of how Lisa Cotter started her keynote at SEEK26 in Columbus, Ohio. And it’s undeniably true. In 2024, Pew Research Center found 18% of adults said religion was gaining influence in American life. Mind you, this was the lowest level in two decades. A year later, the figure was the highest it had been in 15 years with 31% believing that religion was gaining influence. The 2025 numbers were the highest figure in 15 years. The narrative that churchgoers are old amidst empty pews couldn’t be further from the truth. Charlie Kirk’s death added fuel to the fire. 

Kirk’s legacy stood for civic discourse and a devotion to God, family, and country. He reinvigorated those aligned with his values and inspired people to come back to Christianity. Hallow is the first ever religious app to reach the No. 1 spot in the Apple App Store. This year, FOCUS hosted three SEEK conferences in 2026 with over 21,000 attendees. Gen Z may be the most progressive generation yet, but that doesn’t stop them from gravitating toward eternal values. Truth, beauty, and the goodness of faith may be better than what the current culture offers.

Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more 

Gen Z lives in a time of uncertainty — political polarization, homogenous social media use that rewires our brains, and political tensions from war across the world. It actually makes sense that Gen Z is turning toward the divine for consolation and answers. When circumstances are less than ideal (hookup culture, AI, a loneliness epidemic, men masquerading as women, and cancerous toxins in our food), it’s difficult to avoid hard questions. It was also hard to limit that list in parentheses. When comforts are not satisfying and the world around you starts to decay, you question who you are, what your purpose is, and for what you are made. Enter God. 

Atheism, algorithms, and a loss of beauty 

Perhaps Gen Z turns to traditional values and Christianity because of its aesthetic appeal. In the West, everything becomes the same because social media’s algorithms are promoting the same content across the board. The content that trends receives greater likes, more likes, more shares. Then, that same content reaches more people’s feeds and becomes copied by others. Despite being on separate phones, we are receiving similar information. It’s safe to say if you own a smart phone, you also inherit a phone addiction. 

Through social media (looking at you TikTok and Instagram), Gen Z sees firsthand how rapid trend cycles and homogenous influencers who promote overconsumption impact our perception of beauty. Most things are not unique anymore. Fashion is a great example. You may have noticed that 2025’s winter season was marked by women ages 19 to 28 sporting earmuffs, an obscenely odd amount of earmuffs. Over the past year, bows had a chokehold on us all, not to mention parting one’s hair down the middle and attempts at curtain bangs.

What’s immune to trends is the Catholic Church. The Church offers century upon century of history, beauty, and human ingenuity. The saints are a diverse, resilient, and fascinating cast of characters. In my city, Polish churches built by generations are being restored and revered for the artistry of the ceilings, stained glass, and ornate architecture. The modern west has two problems, we simply don’t create with the same level of craftsmanship and quality of the past and we value convenience over legacy way too much. Think of how disheartened we all are when a mom and pop shops close down only to be replaced by fast food. And yet, we sell ourselves like that all the time. We gladly numb out, scrolling on social media instead of reading a book or going on a walk for leisure time.

Gen Z is nostalgic for recent decades they’ve never experienced. TikTok videos and reels proclaim that the 2000’s are back. Is the romanticization of the 2000’s (and the 90’s before that), a distress flare for times without social media, a longing for a less complicated reality, or a yearning for creative beauty? Consider our frustration with Hollywood constantly remaking movies and sequels. These rapid trend cycles are fragmenting history, and somehow, in order to have a better future than the one presented, Gen Z chooses tradition, faith, and structure inspired by the past. 

Signs of hope: Weddings, fashion, and going analog

Gen Z wants you to know that we aren’t giving up. The current state of our world may be rough, but stereotypes of our generations hold us back rather than help us. We want to live life to the fullest. Proof? Weddings, fashion, and going analog. 

Gen Zers are tying the knot! In my four years of college, I was invited to five weddings, saw a friend get confirmed, and two of my friends became parents. The Knot reported that in 2024, roughly one in three newlyweds were Gen Z. Remember, Gen Z started being born in 1997! This may not be the average 20-something’s experience, but it doesn’t negate how family and marriage are the foundation of society and the future of ours. Why wait to do something meaningful with your life? 

Longer hemlines may be a recession indicator, but it’s not just women who want to dress up and dress well. Male fashion influencers like Xander Torres and Albert Muquiz are encouraging men to dress in traditional, masculine silhouettes. Their favorites? A good loafer, collared shirt, and dress pants, or a thrifted pair of Levi’s. Old-school cool is back.

This year may be the year of analog activities. Gen Z wants to go unplugged. Just as the record player took over millennials, independent print magazines, crafting, and dopamine menus full of fun, screen-free activities are now trending. 

Weddings, thoughtful dress, and analog rituals all point to the same quiet conviction. Gen Z is choosing depth in a culture that often rewards detachment. We are committing to people, to presence, and to beauty that takes effort. These choices may look small or unfashionable to some, but they signal something sturdier than optimism. Hope.