Stanley B. Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research.

Washington—Generation Y is down with faith and spirituality — but when it comes to traditional religious institutions, most young people are saying: Whatever.

In a landmark report on youth and religion released this week, a plurality of 18- to 25-year-old Americans say spirituality is important in their lives — but they shun the religious establishment to explore faith in untraditional, informal and often highly personal ways.

The survey, the first of its kind to compare and contrast the religious identities of Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims from 18 to 25, classified 46 percent of respondents as “undecided” about institutional religion.

About 27 percent said they are highly religious, and the same percentage said they are avowedly secular.

The poll was conducted for Reboot, a national network for young Jews, by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. The report, “OMG! How Generation Y is Redefining Faith in the iPod Era,” was unveiled at the Brookings Institution on April 11. (A full copy of the report can be found at http://www.rebooters.net/poll.html)

The findings pose critical challenges for America’s religious institutions, according to Roger Bennett, a co-founder of Reboot.

“The religious establishment is failing to connect with Generation Y, the most diverse and individualist group in American history,” Bennett said. “iTunes, Tivo, and MoveOn have shown this generation that it is possible to bypass the ‘middleman’ and take control of their own experiences. ... Religious institutions have to recognize this reality if they want to be more meaningful.”

According to the survey, many young Americans express their faith in informal ways that are either communal or individualistic, such as praying before meals (55 percent), talking with friends (38 percent), and reading religious magazines, books, and newspapers (33 percent).

While they enjoy “a genuine attachment to religious life,” younger people are “more disconnected from traditional denominations than their older counterparts… (and) favor more informal ways to practice their faith as opposed to attending services, classes, or formal activity,” the report says.

However, the survey also found that young people who identify themselves as “highly religious” tend to be more self-aware and better connected to family and community.

“One of the most remarkable findings of the study is that on every measure, highly religious youth better understand themselves and their place in the community,” said the report’s author, Anna Greenberg, a vice president of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research.

“The results send a clear message: Demand for meaning and community is there, but few in Gen Y are finding it in churches, mosques, or synagogues,” said Reboot’s Bennett. “The question now is whether established institutions will adapt or innovate to meet this generation’s particular spiritual needs.”

Among other key findings:

• Levels of religious engagement: About a quarter (27 percent) of those surveyed were categorized by the survey authors as “Godly,” or highly religious. Almost exactly as many (also 27 percent) were categorized as “Godless,” or non-religious.

• Diverse social circles:  Unlike previous generations, who generally lived and socialized in ethnic or religious enclaves, Generation Y does not seek out friends of the same religion. Only 7 percent said all their friends were members of the same religion.  Of the most religious youth, just 9 percent said all their friends were of the same religion.

• Progressive worldview: Generation Y offers a highly tolerant, progressive worldview, even among youths who identify as religious. A majority (53 percent) support same-sex marriage rights, and 63 percent support keeping abortion legal.

• Denominational decline: Many young people cannot say what faith tradition or denomination they belong to. Along with a decline in denominationalism, the survey reveals a rise in the number of people unwilling to align with a denomination at all.

• Sexually transmitted diseases: “Getting a sexually transmitted disease” was the top concern of the young people surveyed; 35 percent said they were “very worried.”

• The most disconnected: Jewish youth are among those most estranged from religion. Jewish respondents were more likely to be characterized “Godless.” More Jews also were characterized as “ambivalent” about religion. African-Americans were most likely to be identified as “Godly.”

Greenberg is a vice president of a research firm and also an assistant professor of public policy at Harvard University. Reboot, founded in 2000, is a network that brings together Jews of various backgrounds to examine what it means to be Jewish in America.