Gen Z may be a digital-first generation, but new data suggests they are far from faith-averse, and a new survey signals a clear opportunity for Christian radio to meet them where they already listen, engage, stream, and build lasting spiritual connections.
During a Christian Music Broadcasters webinar, Liberty University Professor Kristin Boyce presented findings from her survey of students across the Southern Baptist college’s campus and found 41% already listen to Christian radio, a figure she called encouraging, given the demographic’s reputation for abandoning traditional media.
Springtide Research Institute data shows one in three Gen Z adults now believe in a higher power, up from one in four in 2021. Personal relationships with Jesus among Gen Z rose 12% since 2021. Bible sales among the demographic jumped 36%. Barna Group research found Gen Z and Millennials attend church more frequently than Baby Boomers and Gen X, reversing a trend that defined the previous decade.
When students identified top faith tools to Boyce, 83% cited Bible reading, followed by listening to Christian music of their choice and attending church. About 64% of Gen Z engages with Christian social media accounts. Top song requests skewed heavily toward current worship releases that Boyce described as “hot off the press,” with many CCM stations already playing them.
Students told Boyce that Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and YouTube Music currently capture roughly 60% of their audio listening time, primarily because of on-demand access and personalized recommendations, but they’d engage with Christian radio if stations met them on those platforms. Asked how stations could better connect, respondents suggested expanding to podcasts, creating behind-the-scenes social content on TikTok, addressing specific topics Gen Z faces daily, and making station frequencies easier to locate. Several said they simply don’t know where to find Christian radio on the dial, but would listen if they could.
Format feedback pointed toward familiar problems for all of radio. Students cited repetitive playlists, ad loads, older music catalogs, and the balance between music and talk as friction points. Dunham and Company research adds a format-specific insight: Christian teaching and talk attracts a younger audience than Christian music radio, giving stations with spoken word programming a natural entry point into the demographic.
The donor picture reinforces the long-term case for Gen Z investment.
Research found Gen Z eclipsed both Millennials and Gen X in donations per donor. They give smaller amounts more frequently, making them ideal candidates for monthly sustainer programs. In Boyce’s survey, 45% said they would donate to Christian radio. Among the 60 students asked where they’d direct $100, giving intent centered on causes with visible, tangible impact, including pregnancy centers, homeless services, food banks, and human trafficking prevention.
