Faith and Moral Formation in a Changing World

Children are growing up in societies experiencing significant changes in religious affiliation, religious practice and moral outlook.

A major 2025 study published in Nature Communications, drawing on data from more than 100 countries, identified a recurring pattern of religious decline across generations. The researchers found that religious participation often declines first, followed by a decline in the personal importance of religion and, eventually, a decline in religious affiliation.

Research from the Pew Research Center similarly found substantial movement away from religious affiliation in many countries. Between 2010 and 2020, the percentage of people affiliated with a religion fell by at least five percentage points in 35 countries. In many societies, younger generations are also less likely to identify with a religion than older generations.

These findings do not mean that religion is disappearing everywhere. Islam was the world’s fastest-growing major religion between 2010 and 2020, largely because of demographic factors, and religious switching into or out of Islam remains comparatively uncommon.

However, demographic growth and religious formation are not the same thing. A growing Muslim population does not automatically mean that every child is developing a strong, conscious and lasting relationship with Allah.

The 2025 Nature Communications study describes religious change as a gradual process with three connected stages:

1. Participation declines as people become less involved in religious practices and institutions.
2. Personal importance declines as religion becomes less central to individual identity and decision-making.
3. Affiliation declines as people are less likely to identify with a particular religion.

This pattern is not identical in every country or community. Religious change is influenced by history, politics, education, migration, family life, economic conditions and cultural expectations.

Nevertheless, the overall trend is clear in many societies: younger generations are less likely to inherit religious identity and practice in the same way as previous generations.

For Muslim communities, this makes the transmission of faith an increasingly intentional responsibility. Religious identity cannot be assumed simply because a child is born into a Muslim family or lives in a Muslim community.

Religious change is taking place alongside broader changes in how societies understand authority, family, responsibility, personal choice and morality.

The World Values Survey, one of the largest long-term studies of global beliefs and values, has documented movement in many societies from traditional values toward secular-rational and self-expression values.

Traditional values tend to place greater emphasis on religion, family, social duty and established moral authority. Secular-rational and self-expression values place greater emphasis on individual autonomy, personal choice and freedom from traditional forms of authority.

Ronald Inglehart documented these developments in Religion’s Sudden Decline. His research found that between 2007 and 2020, most countries with available data moved toward lower levels of religiosity.

These findings should not be interpreted as evidence that nonreligious people lack morality. Compassion, justice, generosity and concern for human dignity are found among both religious and nonreligious people.

The research does, however, point to a significant change in the source of moral authority.

In many societies, people are increasingly encouraged to determine meaning, identity and right and wrong primarily through individual preference rather than through religious tradition or divine guidance.

For Muslim families, this creates an important distinction between:

These are related, but they are not identical.

Research on religious decline suggests that faith is less likely to be maintained when religious practice, identity and meaning are not reinforced across generations.

Children are influenced by many sources, including:

• family;
• schools;
• peers;
• media;
• entertainment;
• advertising;
• social media;
• technology;
• and the wider cultural environment.

These influences communicate ideas about:

• what makes life meaningful;
• what defines success;
• how people should treat one another;
• whether moral standards are fixed or changeable;
• whether individuals are accountable for their choices;
• whether life has a purpose;
• and whether religion has a meaningful role in everyday life.

This does not mean that every outside influence is harmful or that children should be isolated from society. It means that religious formation cannot be left entirely to chance.

A child may inherit a Muslim name, family and community, but still need deliberate opportunities to understand what faith means, why it matters and how it should shape character and conduct.

The global Muslim population continues to grow. Pew Research Center reported that Muslims increased from approximately 1.7 billion people in 2010 to approximately 2.0 billion in 2020.

This growth is significant, but it should not be confused with the strength of religious commitment among every individual Muslim.

Population growth is primarily influenced by age structure, fertility and demographic patterns. Spiritual development involves belief, practice, understanding, identity, moral responsibility and a conscious relationship with Allah.

A community can grow numerically while still facing challenges in transmitting religious knowledge, practice and values to younger generations.

For this reason, the future of Muslim communities depends not only on population growth, but also on the quality of religious education and the strength of intergenerational faith formation.

The research does not provide a single solution, and it does not suggest that every child or society will follow the same path.

It does, however, highlight several important considerations:

• Religious identity should not be assumed to continue automatically from one generation to the next.
• Religious participation, personal belief and religious affiliation can change at different rates.
• Children are forming their understanding of meaning, morality and identity within a highly influential cultural environment.
• Demographic growth does not guarantee spiritual commitment.
• Faith formation requires intentional support from families, educators and communities.
• Religious education must address not only what Muslims believe, but also how faith shapes purpose, responsibility and moral decision-making.
• A strong religious identity is more likely to endure when children understand its meaning and relevance rather than experiencing it only as inherited affiliation or external practice.

The central issue is therefore not whether religion will exist in the future. Religion will continue to exist in many different forms and communities.

The more specific question is whether future generations will understand Islam as a living source of meaning, guidance and moral responsibility.