NEWS MANNA –
Gen Z Wants Marriage But Doesn’t Know Why
Not only do empty nesters face an existential crisis, but the young birds leaving it are teleologically disoriented. Imagine if three little fledglings weren’t confined to one geography, one species of mate, one set of birdcalls, and one type of nest, but if they could do anything, go anywhere, be anyone: how confused would they be?
A new Barna poll reveals that today’s teens are asking big questions about purpose, indicating an existential crisis in Gen Z. Only 58% feel hopeful about the future. The survey was given to 1,500 U.S. teenagers aged 13-18 in early 2026 and consisted of an online panel asking how much pressure they felt to answer life’s biggest questions.
How is this a problem? According to another Barna poll, 81% of Gen Z values marriage but don’t see it as being that important to raising a family. In fact, they’re the least likely generation to hold that belief at 67%. Young adults, perplexed about the purpose of their life and thus marriage, are feeling like they need to have it all together — finances, education, etc. — before tying the knot.
Gen Z accepts prolonged singleness as a normal developmental stage, yet it previously existed only as a bridge between stages. The median age at first marriage has climbed drastically in the past few decades. Today, for men and women, the average is 31 and 28.5, respectively. In 2000, it was 27 and 25, and in 1950, it was even lower at 24 and 20.5. Undeniably, this indicates changing values or, as the Barna study suggests, uncertainty about values. Questions like “What is the purpose of marriage?” and “How important is the family?” lay unanswered in the hearts of Gen Z, and, as a result, so do their marriage vows.
As a member of Gen Z, the survey is ultimately not surprising. The overwhelming possibilities after high school can feel like an choppy wave pool. The vast plethora of options, intended to grant freedom, can instead inhibit action. Even young Christians are confounded by conflicting counsel. Particularly challenging for women, young adults are simultaneously told to marry and have kids early, to first complete their college education, explore their personal interests, and become “spiritually mature.”
They’re told to both trust God’s timing and to plan the next four years out. The more hesitant are scolded for slothful apathy and tunneled into an unfulfilling path. All of this occurs as accusations construe formative institutions like marriage and family as restrictive, man-made structures.
Understandably, Gen Z is confused. The culture still echoes “Get married!” but doesn’t properly teach marriage’s purpose. Thanks to the Sexual Revolution, marriage is no longer considered a procreative union and cornerstone — but as a capstone. Cohabitation further denigrates marriage. As a result, with no reason to marry but compliance with a fading norm, young adults delay until they sense “alignment.”
Though material needs — such as rising costs — contribute to the gap between sexual, financial, and emotional maturity, or marriage readiness, the mindset concerning marriage demands adjustment. Two people don’t need to have it all together when they get married. If they did, no one would be married, because nobody has it all together. Not to mention that delayed marriage accelerates the declining fertility rate.
The optimal time for the female body to bear children is in the late teens and early 20s, but now that most women aren’t getting married until their late 20s and having kids even later, this significantly narrows the childbearing years, especially since her fertility begins declining at 30. Clearly, worldview, marriage, family, and fertility are interconnected.
Thus, the questions teens feel pressured to answer shape the entire fabric of society. Most prominent is the question of future stability, of which they harbor “anxious optimism.” Three in four teens feel at least some pressure to answer questions about it (how they’ll make a living, the importance of education, and whether society is heading in the right direction). Also prominent are questions about truth and identity (especially due to AI), a desire for belonging, and the existence of God. All four themes connect to marriage and family.
How can we guide teenagers in their uncertainty? We must base ourselves in the Bible. The church also has a wealth of literature. Besides historical wisdom, older generations must teach the younger — not just passing on core values but practical knowledge (Titus 2). And, as past Barna research has confirmed, today’s church leaders need to educate members. With a solid biblical worldview to guide, Christians can build communities where people can flourish, ordered by the God-ordained boundaries of marriage and family.
Worlds’ Approval of Artificial Intelligence Is Plummeting
Artificial intelligence could potentially destroy humanity in five to 10 years, CEOs postulated at a Yale University summit in 2023. Three years later, the world is abuzz with discussion and debate over AI: Is it good? Is it bad? Is society doomed?
When advances such as Learning Language Models first hit the scene, many applauded the tech industry. But now, the nation is becoming more skeptical of AI and its looming threat. Some assert that the threat is already here. Only 16% of respondents to a recent Pew Research poll say they believe AI will positively impact society.
AI use has exploded over the last two years. The reasons for using it include its function as a search engine, photoshop, fitness plan generator, news source, health advice, and even romantic companionship, says Pew. Nearly half of American adults use AI chatbots in 2026, up from a third in 2024.
Around a fourth report using chatbots every day, including 12% several times a day and 4% almost constantly, Pew continues. Along with these growing numbers are Americans’ concerns over how the technology could adversely affect societal behavior.
“Majorities of younger and older adults alike say AI is advancing too quickly. Across age groups, this share ranges from 61% to 65%,” Pew says.
While 14% of adults under 30 say the impact of AI will be positive, about half of them say it will negatively impact society; the report continues. Young adults are also skeptical; about four in 10 say that AI will be negative for their age group specifically.
Pew discovered that these are not anomalies, and that views of AI are more negative than positive across every age group.
Both men and women are concerned. Thirty-three percent of women say that they believe that AI will have a negative impact on them personally over the next 20 years, while 27% of men believe the same. Nearly half of the women surveyed say they believe that AI will have an overall negative impact on society. Overall, Americans believe AI is moving too fast, with 68% of women and 58% of men agreeing on this.
“AI promises tremendous benefits, but it also raises legitimate questions about privacy, employment, human autonomy, national security, and even the future of human relationships,” Robert Maginnis, a senior fellow for National Security at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand. “The real story isn’t that women fear AI more than men. It’s that women appear more willing to question whether society is adopting AI faster than it can safely govern it. That’s not fear — that’s prudence.
This decline in support could be attributed to a myriad of things: chatbots encouraging lonely children to commit suicide, the prevalence of automated scams, the dire effects of allowing AI to be present in schools, and even the establishment of data centers.
“Even putting aside the environmental toll of chip manufacturing and supply chains, the training process for a single AI model, such as a large language model, can consume thousands of megawatt hours of electricity and emit hundreds of tons of carbon.
This is roughly equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of hundreds of households in America,” a report by Harvard Business Review says about the effects of data centers. “Furthermore, AI model training can lead to the evaporation of an astonishing amount of fresh water into the atmosphere for data center heat rejection, potentially exacerbating stress on our already limited freshwater resources.”
“AI promises tremendous benefits, but it also raises legitimate questions about privacy, employment, human autonomy, national security, and even the future of human relationships,” Maginnis said. “Those are questions all of us should be asking.”