Center for Spiritual Development

SEARCH WEB SITE:
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

•	With Their Own Voices report
	-	With Their Own Voices report
•	Fast Facts
•	Interviews and Essays
•	Practical Strategies
•	Speaking of Faith
•	Youth Voices
•	Parent Voices
•	Researchers Corner

You are here: Home > Insights & Research > With Their Own Voices report

Print This Article

With Their Own Voices
A Global Exploration of
How Today's Young People Experience
and Think About Spiritual Development

Key Findings

A major new international study offers the first in-depth look at young people's spiritual development across multiple countries and traditions. It reveals that:

Most youth surveyed believe there is a spiritual dimension to life, and about one-third of youth surveyed see themselves as "very" or "pretty" spiritual.
Youth see religion and spirituality as related, but different. Both religion and spirituality are viewed positively by a majority of youth.
Young people say family and friends help them spiritually, but one in five youth (18%) say that no one helps them.
Young people say that everyday experiences—ťbeing in nature, listening to or performing music, being alone—and relationships with friends and family as helping them the most in growing spiritually.

Background

From 2006 through 2008, Search Institute's Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence, together with partners in different parts of the world, has been listening to young people's own perspectives on spiritual development. In total, more than 7,000 youth have participated in this multi-methods study. These young people, between the ages of 12 and 25, live in 17 countries on 6 continents. Through a series of exploratory focus groups (13 countries; 175 youth), interviews (6 countries; 32 youth), and surveys (8 countries; 6,853 youth), they offer fresh insight into spiritual development among today's youth. This report offers one of the first snapshots of spiritual development across multiple countries and traditions.

Full Report
Selected Key Findings
Press Release
Video Press Release

Media Coverage

Global survey: youths see spiritual dimension to life (Christian Science Monitor, November 6, 2008)
World youths growing spiritual (Islam Online, November 6, 2008)
Here's the steeple; open the door, and where are the young people? (Star Tribune [Minneapolis], November 10, 2008)
Believing in something gives you hope (Student commentary, The Spectator, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, November 17, 2008)

Other Resources

Download a PowerPoint presentation about the study (for educational, noncommercial uses only)

Spiritual Development in Children and Adolescents: An Annotated Bibliography of an Emerging Theoretical Framework

Also released this fall is an annotated bibliography that identifies recent empirical studies, meta-analyses, and review articles focusing on various aspects of spiritual development in childhood and adolescence, particularly in relation to the center's emerging, evolving theoretical framework of spiritual development.

Reader Comments	Add Comment
Comments contain user-generated content that does not necessarily represent the views of the author(s) or the staff and advisors of the Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence.
global youth views - 4/23/2010 Gayle Kimball, Ph.D. I'm writing a book about Global Issues Through the Eyes of Youth. Here's some of their comments about religion. I have more on their thinking about life purpose, God, etc. gkimball@csuchico.edu Youth have questions about religion: Why God allowed the Devil to live amongst us on earth? Golden, 10, m, Liberia How did God create the earth? Malama, 10, f, Zambia I would ask him whether the religious of nowadays are true or not. I doubt about the possibility of their truth in life. Yannie, 11, f, Hong Kong Which religion is true or most true? Trever, 12, New Mexico Professor and author Huston Smith taught about world religions for decades and wrote about them in numerous books. In his CD “The Big Picture,” he said all religions share a belief in a higher dimension. Mystics and people who have experienced near-death experiences report the other side is blissful and loving with helpful guides. The Bible and the Koran talk about heaven and earth, Buddhism contrasts samsara (this world) and nirvana (which can’t be described in words), and Hinduism contrasts maya (this world of illusion) with Brahma (god). Much older tribal religions, which date back 30,000 years--compared to only 6,000 years for historic religions, agree a superior world exists beyond this plane. Religions also agree humans were made in the image of God and there will be a happy ending, usually with the coming of a prophet (or for Christians, the second coming of Jesus). Smith believes the advent of the scientific method in the 16th century, with its use of controlled experiments and proofs, led to unbelievable technological advances, like walking on the moon. But “the critical mistake of modernity” is that science denies the possibility of another world, keeping many from exploring it. Science ignores meaning, values and purpose. We’ve lost a great deal in dismissing these dimensions, Smith concludes. The answer to your question, then, is religions are all true in that they teach us to define our values and live up to them. They all teach we can expect consequences to follow from our actions in this life to the after-life. We can ask for spiritual guidance and receive it through prayer, meditation, chanting, and other spiritual practices that quiet the mind. Religions disagree about who is the greatest prophet (a person who reveals God’s teaching) and which scriptures are the most true—those written about Abraham, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Zoroaster, and more. It’s up to you to study and explore to decide which form of worship suits you best, although many people are most comfortable with the religion of their parents. Why doesn’t everybody believe in God? I’m a Christian. Lewis, 12, m, US Because we can’t see a physical being, some don’t believe in God. I think we know God through His/Her creation. I can’t see radio and TV waves so it seems unbelievable that they create sound, but they do. I can’t see that the 99% of my body is space, not matter, but it is nevertheless true since atoms are mostly space. Why do we have to pray? Sinan, 13, m, Turkey To get calm and centered so you can receive guidance to your questions. Shehroz explains, ”He is talking about Muslim prayer of five times a day which should preferably start when the child is seven-years-old. All Muslims who pray five times a day say that it is really calming, soothing, relaxing, spiritual and a connection with God.” Why is there such a controversy between different religions? Donicka, 14, f, Lanai, Hawaii The same reason countries fight wars—people get caught up in ego, thinking my way is the right way. What is religion and what is its purpose? Forrest, 15, m, American in Chile Groups of people with similar beliefs worship together to set aside time for spirituality and to hear suggestions from the clergy person about how to live life wisely. Religion use different words for the sacred: Hinduism and Buddhism discuss Dharma or law; Confucianism, Li; Daoism, the Dao or the Way; Judaism, the Torah; Christianity, the Logos; and Indigenous native peoples believe in the Great Spirit. The British philosopher Aldous Huxley wrote The Perennial Philosophy in 1945. He was the first to describe two types of world religions. One is external and public: rituals, buildings for worship, and their books. The other is the more secret form, known to an inner circle usually involving a meditative discipline like yoga or Sufi dancing. Buddhism Buddhists believe in what we call 'Khamma' [karma]. It’s kinda like the way of life for us. We are taught to do good things, cause no harm and keep our hearts clean and calm because whatever we do will come around to us somehow someday. Scientifically, is what you know as Newton’s motion law; action = reaction. The highest aim is ‘Nipphan’ [Nirvana]. It’s said to be the deepest and most wanted forever peace. Now hopefully, you got the idea of Buddhism. Unlike Christians, we go to temple on occasions such as birthday, New Year, Thai New Year (aka water festival), and other holidays. In the early morning monks walk from nearby temples to receive alms from villagers. Monks live a plain and simple life, physically and mentally. We give them food and flowers for merit. As Christians give love to one another, we give forgiveness. Khamma will do its role. The bad will receive bad fortune in return but before that we have no right to judge them. Palmmy, 17, f, Thailand Christianity What does Jesus look like? Kendra, 9, f, Canadian in Belize Like a Middle Eastern young Jewish man. How would religion change if Jesus was gay? Olivia, 10, f, British Columbia The Bible doesn’t mention any romance for Jesus, so we don’t know anything about his sexuality. Some people do believe that he had a special relationship with Mary Magdalene. The Old Testament spoke out against homosexuality but Jesus didn’t say anything about this topic, as far as I know. He was more interested in purity of heart than external practices: "People honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." (Mark 7:6) I’d like to know the day when Jesus shall come. Mulenga, 12, m, Zambia People have been trying to figure this out since Jesus died. Paul, an important founder of the Christian church, believed the end time would come soon, but it didn’t. Some invite Jesus to come into their hearts on a daily basis. I felt most loved at my first communion. Adrian, 12, m, Switzerland Family and friends share a special bond at religious rituals that mark important steps in our lives. My purpose is to be a king of earth; God made man to be the king of animals. Remo, 16, m. Sudan I hope this means you’ll work to keep wild animals safe from poachers and taking away their habitat and food sources. I’d stop people from devil worshipping and make people of different communities mix up, not living in different groups as they are now. ?, 17, f, Kenya What's the sense of living if we die in the end anyway?! Why is life so unfair? I'm a Christian so I also think life is my mission. Jesus is my life and death my win. I think every person is here to make the earth a better place. Some are succeeding some are not. Franziska, 17, f, Germany God wants to bring goodness, truth and beauty to the world and take all of the pain and suffering and wipe it out. The incredible thing is that he wants to do this through you and me. He also wants to restore our relationship with him. That’s why he sent his son Jesus a couple thousand years ago. . . . Jesus’ death, and his coming back to life, also opens a way for us to step back into a good friendship with God. The guilt we feel over our sin can be wiped out. …Check out what God has to say to you and the help he offers for living in the Bible. That’s one of the ways God talks back to you. Zach Hunter, 17, m, Georgia [Zach started an organization called Loose Change to Loosen Chains in 7th grade to end slavery and has written three books to encourage activism. The above quote is from his webpage. ] My circle of family and friends are critical and judgmental about personal decisions I’ve made lately, saying what I’m doing is not Christian. Betty, 17, f, California Remind them Jesus said let those who are without sin throw the first stone, judge not that you not be judged, and pay attention to the dirt in your own eye. He stressed forgiveness, love, and compassion for the downtrodden. He was a radical who violated all kinds of traditional taboos, as by discussing theology with women—including a woman of the streets, healing a bleeding person, turning over the moneychangers’ tables in the temple, and so on. Christian leaders who ignore the poor and the destruction of the planet’s ecosystem need to re-read the Gospels. Jesus is around the corner coming. Obadia, 18, m, Sudan Hinduism As Hindus, my family has a worship room in our home with photos of gods and goddesses and ancestors. They’re all manifestations of God, Brahma. We do puja, give offerings of sweets and money, and chant. We celebrate festivals like Diwali, to celebrate when Krishna rescued Sita, or Holi when people throw colored powder at each other to celebrate. Weddings are huge, five days of ceremony and feasting. The bride has henna designs on her hands and feet; how dark they are symbolizes how much the groom loves her. My parents’ marriage was arranged, so they don’t understand dating, so I didn’t date in high school. Bhumi, 19, f, Indian in Colorado In Hinduism there are three ways to reach God: Gyan Marg, Karm Marg and Bhakti Marg. When we talk about puja and worshipping by rituals, we are on bhakti marg. On Karm marg we don't bother about these aspects. Not participating in puja is all right; if you are a Hindu then you don't need to worry about the ritualistic aspect of it--it is not compulsory to worship God only by rituals and puja. We can worship God by our karma also. I don't believe in a position for God which Christians and many Hindus keep for themselves--that God is like a King who would grant us wishes if we pray to him and do good, or that there is a Swarg/Jannat/Paradise where good people are treated while bad people are sent to hell. I think these are concepts created for the naive to threaten them. We don't need to believe in these. Devi worship or Shakti [goddesses] worship is a very unique concept in Hinduism; try to read more about it on the net. Then even if you won't worship her, you would get inspired to be on the right path. Umar Rahul, ?, M, India www.orkut.com/Main#CommMsgs?cmm=11374051&tid=5385641895421779551 Islam Over 1.5 billion people believe in Islam. Many young Muslims strongly identify culturally with the global “tribe” of orthodox Islam. Indonesia has the most Muslims in the world. Many Indonesian Muslims regard western culture as a threat to Islamic moral values, although middle-class Muslims in Indonesia shop at the mall in Muslim fashion sections. They carry cell phones and own portable CD players or iPods. Muslim students in our book are much more likely than others to state that their life purpose is to worship God, follow religious law, and spread their religion. The biggest branch of Islam is the Sunni, while the Shia are less than 15%. Many Iranians and Iraqis are Shia. They believe religious leaders—imams, can help us communicate with Allah. Saudi Arabia has its own type of Sunni, called Wahabi. The top religious leader in Saudi Arabia, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz, said in 2004, “Allowing women to mix with men is the root of every evil and catastrophe.” Millions belong to the Sufi faith, which like the Sunni emphasizes a direct relationship with Allah. Islamic family law is called Shariah and some countries that practice it have religious leaders who make decisions about legal issues like divorce. For example, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, law makers in this province used Islamic law in 2001 to ban gambling, drinking, and require women to wear head scarfs, and in 2009 decreed punishing adulterers and homosexuals with stoning to death. The Prophet Muhammad (7th century) was progressive for his era, as in his dealings with women. His first wife was older, not a virgin, and proposed to him. He banned killing baby girls and limited polygamy to four wives who were supposed to be treated equally. Women had property rights. But, the Koran says that a daughter inherits only half as much as a son and a woman’s testimony counts only half as much as a man, and permits slavery. Islamic feminists (such as Moroccan Fatema Merniss) suggest that Islam needs to change with the times, to look at the teachings of the Prophet’s youngest wife, Aisha, and her feminist recollections of her husband. Muhammad’s wives drove camels, so why shouldn’t women today drive cars? Saudi Arabia abolished slavery in 1961, so why not change with the times in other areas? “The rise of women is in fact a prerequisite for an Arab renaissance,” concluded a UN Arab Human Development Report. I get angry too fast; I waste my time and don’t offer my prayers with concentration and on very particular timings. But the worst one thing I want to stop is my habit of wasting time. I would pray everyone understand Allah and Islam—my religion. ?, 14, f, Tanzania I would like to be a journalist to help my war-effected country and spread the holy Islam to the entire world. Naqibullah, 14, m, Afghanistan I'm a Moslem. So I think I live on earth to do the best I because of my love to Allah. I truly believe that I'm nothing without Allah, so I won't let Him down with my bad behavior. Lina, 15, f, Indonesia ALLAH created us on Earth to worship him and to construct the Earth by our deeds which are limited to Islam’s rules found in Quran. I believe that my purpose is to worship ALLAH and to work my best to help people and make Earth better for the whole humanity. I want to be a surgeon to cure ill people and avoid them to feel painful. Mohamed, 16, m, Egypt I live on earth for preaching Islam. Nida, 16, f, Pakistan I’m here on earth because it’s my fate that I was born from my mother’s stomach. Some things motivate me to live—that is, to thank God for all the blessings, how much he loves us. We thank him by doing good things, do everything with spirit and pray to Him. Maybe my purpose is to do so many good so that when I die, I go to heaven but I’m still doubting that I can do that. Atika, 16, f, Indonesia Normally people would say that we are here to practice and spread their religion. That's true, but as a together, we are here to help others, be a better person and respect each other's religion. Hafiz, 17, m, Pakistan Islam is the word for “peace” and Muslim means “One who submits” so we should not be misunderstood to be a hostile and wild religion. Koran says: “Let there be no compulsion in religion.” This means that no one should be forcefully converted but only ‘convinced’ with a proper, decent, calm, and friendly but serious persuasion. If persuasion didn’t work then nothing else should be done. Muslims believe that Allah is the same God who created Adam and who sent Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus as prophet and messenger to mankind. We differ slightly on the “nature” and ‘attributes” of God. The word Jihad actually means “to strive/to struggle” and it doesn’t mean to fight or kill innocent people. Muslims are told to fight in DEFENCE and to honor all treaties and agreements. I would recommend a book called “Imperial Hubris Followed by Defeat” by an anonymous writer, if someone is interested in the whole AlQaeda, Taliban, Jihad, Terrorism and war against Terrorism issue. This book is biased towards Afghanistan, Iraq and AlQaeda. Shehroz, 17, m, Pakistan Laws should no longer be governed by religion, but by a fixed set of rules instead. And I’d abolish capital punishment. Ameer, 17, m, Pakistan I will fix the west's view of Islam; they think it is the religion of the terrorist. I will show them what our prophet teach us and tell us. Eman, 17, f, Bedouin in Israel [Later he emailed me about the Muslim holy month where adults fast from sunup to sundown.] Ramadan is just so awesome. The atmosphere is just amazing. People love and care for each other and they develop that concept of patience. We try to do as many good deeds as possible because the devil is imprisoned and there is no one to stop you from being good. So I love Ramadan and I am anxiously waiting for it. Hassan, 17, m, Pakistan Islam is given a bad name throughout WORLD MEDIA by associating it with all the terrorists. But I tell you that these TERRORISTS are not MUSLIMS (and that is a whole new argument). Media calls terrorists as MUSLIM EXTREMISTS, but I would rather call them NON-MUSLIM TERRORISTS for a terrorist cannot be a MUSLIM. This wrong association by media creates biasness among common people and a bad name and reputation for MUSLIMS. Pakistan is the country with second largest Muslim population but MEDIA'S opinion is based on a bunch of bearded idiots in Afghanistan and Iraq, etc. Shehroz, 17, m, Pakistan There is just one purpose for us—pray to God. Ashin, 17, m, Indonesia In this world we have a God who teaches us to obey the command and avoid restrictions. We live in this world is only temporary, and only for the worship of God. And in a time we will also return to the gods. Febri, 17, f, Indonesia Why are the Muslims the ones to be oppressed when they are just practicing their faith? Sadika, 16, f, Tanzania The people who stereotype Muslims do not actually know the true Islam. Education is compulsory in Islam for both men and women. People do not know the actual teachings of Islam, that's why they are stereotype Muslims. But as you cannot judge the car by its driver, people should not judge Islam by its followers. Believe me, most of the youth of Pakistan think like that. Firasat, 19, f, Pakistan Iran has one of the youngest populations in the world; about half of the population is under 29. Young people were involved in the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and rebuilding the nation with Islamization of textbooks, dress code for women, sexual segregation policy in education—except in universities and sports and leisure, and banning non-Islamic entertainment such as nightclubs. Conservative leader Ahmadinejad proposed making polygamy legal, decreasing the number of women university students, and teaching women their “proper place” under Islam. In response, women’s rights activists started a One Million Signature Campaign to change the constitution to become more gender equal. Urban middle class youth have access to mass media. Counter-culture youth secretly view satellite TV and listen to Western music CDs and cassettes. Marjane Satrapi wrote/drew a comic book autobiography about growing up, first under the Shah, then under the oppressive Islamic Revolution. She left her country because of the oppression, the model in her art drawing class veiled, even being reprimanded by the Islamic Commission at her university for wearing red socks. She writes, “show your wrist, a loud laugh, having a Walkman…everything was a pretext to arrest us” students. Yet boys and girls gather for parties, use Internet dating, and belong to groups defined by music genre like rap and punk. Girls wear bright colors, reveal some hair beneath the headscarf, and wear jeans, according to Lipstick Jihad by Azadeh Moaveni. She quotes a middle-class boy in Tehran, 2004: “We are not exactly like rap fans or heavy metal fans in the West, they do lots of strange things, but we don’t. We only like their clothes and styles.” In her 2009 book, Honeymoon in Tehran, Moaveni notes that most women are literate and women receive 60% of the college degrees. Islam’s development is influenced by the growth of numbers of young people who can’t find jobs. She observed that young people are more concerned about buying things than freedom: “Their idol isn’t Che Guevara anymore, it’s Bill Gates.” With inflation and the lack of good jobs, young people can’t afford to get married until at least age 30. They have a hard time finding a place to be alone, so they meet in coffee shops where they are not hassled by police or young men join together to rent apartments and share the keys. (In Cairo, as well, young single people meet in cafes or in chat rooms and flirt because their families control social interaction and major decisions, like marriage. They too can’t afford to marry until 31—the average age for men. “Youth culture or a young people’s scene as we know it in the West does not in fact exist in Egypt, although young people account for almost 70% of the population.” ) Iranian young men and women wearing green to symbolize their cause were both involved in the 2009 demonstrations against alleged election fraud. Sara Siadatnejad loaded her photos and video of the demonstrations onto Facebook and explained, We are fighting to get our stolen votes back. We were singing, dancing in the streets, boys and girls together. We had never done this before [because of patrols by religious police]. No one wanted to go home. It seems people were half dead before and suddenly everyone felt alive. This was the first election in which women played a powerful role, advocating greater equality for women. During protests, a 27-year-old woman, Neda Agha-Soltan, was shot on the street; the video of her death went viral on the global Internet and became a symbol of government oppression. Over 300 Muslim women protested in the capital of Afghanistan, April, 2009, while being called “Whores,” by some of the men who supported religious restrictions on women’s rights. The women delivered a petition to Parliament to repeal a 2009 law that permits Shiite Muslim husbands to rape their wives, requires a husband’s permission for a woman to go to school or work outside the home, and requires that if a husband wants his wife to dress up or “make herself up” she must obey. President Karzai said these requirements would be repealed after some world leaders criticized the legislation, including Angela Merkel, head of Germany. See the endnote for resources about religion.
Reflections - 3/12/2009 Angela All of us on our journey through life are seeking something, whether it is fame, money, power, happiness, success, love, etc. We are searching for something in the hope that when we find it we will be whole. Since the beginning of time there has been many debates over what the right path to achieve this sense of wholeness is, wars have been fought and continue to be waged over whose way of living is right. In a time in history when we as a global community are caught up in fights over different philosophical views and ways of living, it has been refreshing to read and analyze the findings from the Center for Spiritual Development’s survey and focus groups conducted with youth world wide. Young people from different backgrounds and countries expressed their personal desire to search for something outside of themselves. At times they based their search on their religious beliefs, but in most cases their search involved looking inward and evaluating the life choices that they have made. Youth defined spiritual experiences as those times in their life where they struggled, felt an overwhelming sense of joy, dealt with a tragedy, or had another experience which resonated with them. Participants were not trying to further their personal agendas or create controversy, rather they reflected on what experiences and wisdom have been essential to their life’s journey. It is refreshing that in a time where everyone worldwide is consumed with what is “right” or “wrong” that youth and young adults around the world overall place a sense of importance on focusing on the journey that they are on and learning from all that life has to offer. These findings and others from the studies conducted by the Center for Spiritual Development help to illustrate that the spiritual experiences of youth are not only important, but they offer insights on understanding and reflecting on one’s personal journey through life.
Moved to Action - 1/6/2009 Vanessa M. Seifert Thanks for sharing the findings. I am looking forward to participating in a symposium this weekend that will explore the practical action steps to take from this study-I'm excited. Thanks for your hard work!
Read more comments Report inappropriate comments to spiritualdevelopment@search-institute.org

The Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence

Search Institute
615 First Avenue NE, Suite 125
Minneapolis MN 55413
612.399.0235