The Gen Z Role Models Project

Overview

The Gen Z Role Models Project explores how the first smartphone generation narrates faith and meaning amid shifting religious practice and influencer culture. Grounded in pioneering research begun at the University of Oxford, it is the first project to use story completion and participatory co-analysis to place Gen Z voices at the center of religious inquiry.

The Oxford Pilot (2024/5) collected and analysed story completion submissions from 131 Gen Zers from around the globe. Its Exemplarist Narrative Analysis—a novel framework for interpreting religious meaning through stories—was conducted with 54 co-researchers and will be published in a book, The Spiritual Narratives of Generation Z.

The King’s Study (2025/6) is the project’s current phase. It will build on the pilot’s analysis while strengthening its findings through rigorous quantitative and machine learning techniques, deployed in conversation with Gen Zers. It aims to collect 1,000+ stories from regional hubs around the globe.

Committed to a participatory ethos, The Gen Z Role Models Project seeks to promote personal well-being through reflexive practice and to revitalise institutional and civil discourse through mutual understanding. For more information, contact the project lead, Dr Edward David, through the form below.

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