Report: Evangelicals Under Age 35 Less Likely to Believe Jews Are God’s Chosen People

Audio By Carbonatix

A recent survey by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter reveals that younger Evangelicals (those under age 35) are less likely to believe Jews are God's chosen people compared to older Evangelicals, with a higher percentage endorsing what is known as “Replacement Theology.”

The study, conducted earlier this year, examined how Evangelicals view the Jewish people, including 49% who said they believe Jews are God’s “chosen people.” Meanwhile, just 29% of respondents under the age of 35 agreed, The Christian Post reported.

Conversely, 50% of respondents aged 35-44 said the Jews were God's chosen people, as well as 51% of those aged 45-54, 55% of those aged 55-64 and 56% of those aged 65 and above.

When it came to Replacement Theology – the belief that Christians have replaced Jews as God's chosen people following the birth of Christ – just 26% of respondents below the age of 26 believed in this view, another 26% were unsure, and 16% said the Jews were never God’s chosen people.

The survey also featured seven specific topics: "Israel's role in prophecy," "What the Bible teaches about Israel," "Jewish roots of Christianity," "US/Israel political relations," "Antisemitism or anti-Jewish bias," "How Israel is covered in US media," and "How US Christians are viewed by Israelis."

Although 44% of all respondents considered all seven issues important, that percentage decreased to 31% of respondents under the age of 35. Meanwhile, 62% of respondents aged 65 and over view all seven issues as important, as well as 48% of those aged 55-64, 41% of those aged 45-54, and 34% of those aged 35-44.

"The long-term outlook suggests we may be witnessing a broader theological evolution," said Infinity Concepts CEO Mark Dreistadt in a statement. "Just as younger evangelicals are shifting views on other key cultural topics, we see a similar pattern emerging in attitudes toward Israel."

He added that the findings "highlight the need for thoughtful engagement and discipleship that bridges generations and reinforces biblically grounded understanding of Israel and the Jewish people."

There was also a generational difference found in a 2021 report by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research which found that 59% of respondents aged 70 or older believed Jews were still the chosen people while only 44% aged 40 and under agreed.

Overall, 51% of Evangelicals believed that the Jews were still God's chosen people, 19% were unsure, 17% believed Christians replaced Jews as the chosen people, and 10% said the Jews were never God's chosen people.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/777jew

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.