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connect with the next generation
the most connected generation in history is also the loneliest
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what’s new in relate 2026?
RELATE 2026 surveyed more than 7,000 teens and young adults across 11 countries — this time including Gen Alpha for the first time and asking new questions about AI.
What we found: close relationships are shrinking, from 5.3 to just 4.4 per person since 2024. More than a third of Gen Z now says they have an AI companion. And yet, they're craving something real more than ever — face-to-face connection is up to 64%, from 54% in 2024.
*Translated materials available soon.
key findings
5 things relate 2026 taught us
Confidentiality is the #1 factor young people look for when building trust — in every single country surveyed. 73% say it's extremely or very important that someone keeps what they say private.
4 in 10 kids still aren't confident they have an adult who really listens to them — the exact gap Young Life leaders are trained to fill.
Mental health remains the top concern for adolescents in nearly every country surveyed — ahead of money, safety, and school.
of young people with an AI companion say they're more comfortable with it than with some of their friends or family.
Even so, 8 in 10 say they have a great future ahead of them — hope that runs deeper than the anxiety headlines suggest.
"We believe in Gen Z's potential — because we believe God loves them and has plans for them. The RELATE Project is evidence of this!"
Amy Richards
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
"One of the great aspects of Young Life's RELATE Project is the practical steps and considerations it offers for adults, like all are worthy of love, connection gaps can lead to opportunity, and moms make a difference."
LaTasha Nesbitt
Fuller Youth Institute
"Can we agree that something is wrong? This isn't kids being kids or a generation being over-dramatic. They are suffering, and we must pay attention."
Tanita Maddox
Young Life Leader, Author of
What Gen Z Really Wants to
Know About God
"We can't love young people well if we don't know them. That urgency hasn't changed in 85 years — what's changed is how fast we have to move to keep up with them."
Newt Crenshaw
President & CEO, Young Life
