A new study has found that the young adults who make up Generation Z (those who are 18-27 years of age) suffer from increased levels of fear and anxiety and have lower self-esteem and receive less affirmation than all older generations. However, the study also found that young adults who regularly read the Bible and seek to apply it to their lives experience significantly less anxiety than their peers.

The findings, released last week, make up the sixth chapter of the American Bible Society’s 14th annual “State of the Bible” report. On Monday, John Plake, chief innovation officer at the American Bible Society, joined “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” to unpack the findings.

“[I]t hasn’t just been documented by the American Bible Society, but lots of outlets and major researchers have documented that Generation Z, the youngest adult generation in America, is really struggling with their emotional and mental health,” he noted. “They have really high levels of fear, very specific areas and some that are quite unique. … [I]f you look at the overall level of anxiety among Gen Z and you compare it to older generations in America, what you find is they have about twice the level of clinical anxiety symptoms. … Those feelings of anxiousness, of difficulty with sleep, of difficulty with concentration.”

Plake emphasized that while the reasons behind the increase in mental issues are multi-faceted, it can largely be pinned on the dramatic rise in screen time.

“[C]learly … all of the social changes that took place around the pandemic have been really important here,” he acknowledged. “But most scholars believe that it’s the fact that they grew up with screens in their face rather than interacting one on one with others and working out their challenges and their difficulties in face-to-face relationships. The intermediation of smartphones and other digital devices has not really helped them, and it’s forced them to grow up in ways that [older generations] didn’t have to.”

But as Plake went on to explain, the study demonstrates the power the Bible can have to change lives.

“Only 11% of Gen Z adults qualify as really being Scripture-engaged,” he recognized, but nonetheless, the data shows that “they’re consistently interacting with the Bible in a way that’s shaping their choices and transforming their relationships. But if you look at them and you look at their levels of clinical anxiety symptoms, what you notice is that for Scripture-engaged Gen Zers, their levels are comparable with the oldest Americans. So it wipes out this generation gap. There’s something that happens when we begin to hear God speaking to us through His word that takes all of the anxieties and quiets them. And as … the Apostle Paul [says], the peace of God that passes all understanding does in fact guard their hearts and their minds in Christ Jesus. And instead of having anxiety levels of 7.1 on this 10-point scale, they’re at 3.4. So it’s like less than half of what they were seeing from their compatriots, and that is really amazing.”

Plake further detailed what the survey found out about where Gen Z turns when they are struggling.

“What we discovered was that the top three answers were really pretty fascinating. The first is that a large percentage of Gen Z adults actually go to a mental health professional, about 57%. … ‘[O]nline search’ was actually the second most popular option. … I think that’s interesting because it provides those of us who care about Gen Z to be there to meet them when they’re searching for these things. And then the third thing is they would talk to a trusted family member. I think we can equip the church to know how to help young people understand the anxieties and the fears that they have in light of God’s word, but we can also equip families, and we can be present in that online world when they’re searching, so they can find biblical answers to their genuine searches.”

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins agreed, pointing out that the mental health crisis presents an opportunity for the spreading of the Good News. “Bible reading actually went up [during COVID] as people were looking for answers and solutions. This problem can be the opportunity … for those that are searching for something that they can’t find anywhere else. This could be it. This could be the door that the church has been waiting for to introduce this newest generation of adults to the word of God.”

Plake concurred. “Isn’t that really what we do? We listen to the challenges that people are experiencing in the culture and society all around us, and we provide biblical answers, and in this case, they’re clinically proven biblical answers that actually do help. … If we can provide them with what the Bible says and help to engage them in it at their point of need, not just at our point of reference, then we find that God meets them and he helps them, and they do experience the peace of God. And that’s what we want for all of our fellow Americans.

Plake also spoke about generational differences that point to a possible advantage that Gen Z has. “I think there’s an urban legend that maybe started in the Baby Boomer generation in the 1960s, that talking about anything spiritual was sort of forbidden. But what we see among Gen Z is a new openness to the gospel, an openness to hearing about how the Bible has impacted someone’s life or how God has touched them. But it’s important that that happen in the context of a relationship, and that it come from someone that they trust.”

Plake concluded by sharing a free resource available for those who are struggling with overwhelming levels of stress.

“One of the things I’m most excited about is that the Trauma Healing Institute has come out with a new resource [that] can be accessed by someone [who may be asking], ‘I’m really struggling emotionally. Does the Bible have something for me?’ You can go to TraumaHealingInstitute.org/reconnect, and you can download that resource. … And on that same page, maybe you’re the parent or a grandparent of someone who’s struggling emotionally. There’s a five-part conversation guide and Bible study that can just walk you through what the Bible says about the hurts or struggles that you may be experiencing. … [I]t’s exactly the kind of resource that’s been shown to help people overcome these difficulties that are so prevalent in America’s youngest adults.”