Women have always been more religious than men. This has been especially true among Christians when Christianity is the majority religion. Scholars have even considered it a universal phenomenon. However, recent studies show that young men in Finland were becoming more committed to Christianity than young women.

Kati Tervo-Niemelä, Professor in Practical Theology at the University of Eastern Finland, has led studies among young people in their preparation for confirmation. Confirmation classes are usually attended between the ages of 14 and 15.

The latest survey, collected in 2024 and involving 30% of attendees in confirmation preparation, reveals surprising results. Surveys have been conducted since 2019, and in all of them, girls’ faith in God has remained more or less the same until 2023. Around 35% of teenage girls who have attended confirmation preparation each year say they believe in God.

At the same time, boys’ religiosity has increased dramatically. In 2019, boys were virtually on a par with girls, with 36% of them saying they believed in God. The proportion of boys who believe has increased steadily and significantly each year, so that in 2023, up to 50% of boys in confirmation preparation would declare their belief in God.

Girls are also becoming interested in Christianity

But the 2024 statistics in Finland reveal a new exception. It shows that 62% of boys who have attended confirmation school say they believe in God, but the proportion of girls has also risen.

In 2024, half of girls in Confirmation declared their faith in God. This is an increase of 13 percentage points on the previous year. So it might be that girls are also becoming interested in Christianity, but only a few years behind boys.

According to Professor Tervo-Niemelä, this change cannot be explained solely by the fact that young people who are not religious are not going to confirmation preparation, because the popularity of confirmation school has remained relatively high and at the same time the number of people declaring themselves believers has risen very significantly.

Kati Tervo-Niemelä presented new research findings at a theological conference at the The Finnish Bible Institute in early January 2025.

Young in cities are more religious than in rural areas

Recent surveys in Finland also reveal that young people in cities are more religious than their rural counterparts. Traditionally, the opposite has been true: religiousness has been stronger in rural areas than in cities.

According to recent studies among young people in confirmation preparation, young people in cities are more likely to believe in God and the resurrection of Jesus than those in rural areas.

What is also surprising is that those who do not believe at all are the most numerous in rural areas. An explanation for this can be found in the fact that rural areas are more homogeneous in terms of population and religion, while urban areas are more diverse. Different beliefs are present.

“In rural areas it can be easier not to think about it. To feel that religion is not relevant to me”, says Henrietta Grönlund, Professor of Urban Theology at the University of Helsinki, in an interview with Uusi Tie magazine.

Another possible explanation is that rural religiosity may seem aversive, especially for young people. In a small town, for example, some may find the norms imposed on religion more oppressive than in the city.

“Everyone also seems to know your business, such as who you are dating or whether you go to church on Sunday. In cities, you often get to live more anonymously”, Grönlund says.

Diversity in cities raises religious questions

Large cities are also the areas with the highest proportions of immigrants, which identify with cultural backgrounds in which speaking out loud about faith is common.

“When there is a lot on offer, it can generate interest”, says Professor Grönlund.

Talking about faith in a natural way, she adds, makes faith become a more mundane matter. Openness about faith matters challenges people to form their own views on religion, what part it plays in their identity, or if it is part of their identity at all.

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