about the ​ study

The RELATE Project 2026 investigated relationships, sense of belonging, identity, faith, and — for the first time — the impact of AI, among 7,105 adolescents and young adults ages 13 to 24, across 11 countries: United States (1,672), United Kingdom (880), Argentina (353), Mexico (804), Hong Kong (706), India (822), Ethiopia (426), Kenya (356), Liberia (345), Nigeria (400), and Zimbabwe (341).

about young life

Young Life is a global nonprofit organization with a mission to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. For 85 years, that's looked like showing up. We have over 70,000 volunteers knowing over 4.4 million kids by name in over 100 countries. 

Simply put, we believe in the next generation and ensuring every kid feels a sense of belonging, meaning, and purpose. And we do this by building bridges of authentic friendships between adults who show up and model how much God loves them.

why now?

The people of Young Life have a common goal — to know Jesus, to know young people, and to make the name of Jesus known around the world. This comes from spending time with adolescents, listening without judgment, and walking through hard things with them. It also comes from understanding them — their culture, trends, and shifts in perceptions — as we walk with them in friendship

Three years ago, RELATE 2024 gave us a baseline. In 2026, we went back — this time listening to Gen Alpha alongside Gen Z and asking new questions about AI. The rewiring of this generation isn't finished, and neither is our work of understanding them to love them well.

meet the team

We couldn’t do this alone. Young Life’s Research and Practice collaborated with Pinkston to make this research possible. We also had project advisors who brought in their expertise from different organizations to help guide The RELATE Project:

project team

  • Newt Crenshaw, President and CEO, Young Life
  • Susan Crenshaw, Chair, Young Life
  • Lauren Bocci, VP of Marketing and Communications, Young Life
  • Arthur Satterwhite, III, D.S.L., VP of Strategy, Young Life
  • Kimberly Nollan, Ph.D., MSW, PMP, Director of Research and Practice, Young Life
  • Chelsea Cannon, Director of Marketing, Young Life
  • Gabe Knipp, M.F.A., Senior Director of Content and Buzz, Young Life
  • Tiffani Hutton, LMSW, Research Analyst, Young Life

relate advisory team

  • Sam Harrell, Chief Partnerships Officer, American Bible Society
  • John Plake, Ph.D., Chief Ministry Officer, American Bible Society
  • Sarah Cates, VP for Imagination, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships, Belmont University
  • Jeanne Esler, Ph.D., Esler Family Foundation
  • Josh Packard, Ph.D., Co-Founder, Future of Faith
  • Megan Bissell, Ph.D., Co-Founder, Future of Faith
  • Kara Powell, Ph.D., Chief of Leadership Formation, Fuller Youth Institute
  • LaTasha Nesbitt, Ph.D., Research Manager, Fuller Youth Institute
  • Jordan Francis, Founder, Reframe Youth
  • Tommy Nixon, CEO, Urban Youth Workers Institute
  • Bukola Omotayo, VP Research and Insights, Come Near
  • Abigail Rusert, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Institute for Youth Ministry, Princeton Theological Seminary
  • Tanita Maddox, D.Min., Associate Regional Director, Young Life
  • Mike Newton, Director of Organizational Health and Belonging, Young Life
  • Bryan Reaume, VP US Field, Strategic Initiatives & Integration, Young Life
  • Raquel Harrison, MD, Acute 2 Root, Yale, Young Life

research partner – pinkston

  • Heather Cirmo, Vice President
  • Brooke Hempell, Senior Vice President, Research
  • Alexandra Whitford, Director, Research
  • Emily Lawing, Research Associate
  • Sarah Hahn, Writer
  • Statistical Analysis: Nancy Scammacca Lewis, Ph.D.