But a closer look suggests they really may not be much different than preceding generations at the same age.
Whatever the case, religious leaders haven't lost faith in the Millennials.
Millennials were born in 1981 or after and will be coming of age in the early 2000s — the new millennium. They follow past generations: "Gen X" (birth years between 1965 and 1980), "Boomer" (1946-1964), "Silent" (1928-1945) and "Greatest" (born before 1928).
In a collection of national surveys compiled by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Americans ages 18 to 29 are considered less religious than their older counterparts. More than one in four Millennials — or 26 percent — say they are unaffiliated in religion (see survey results).