Footprints: faith, values and religious experience among Argentine youth

Abstract

This article characterizes Argentine youth in relation to their beliefs and values. Religiosity, a key aspect of identity formation, gains particular relevance at this stage of life, as it offers frameworks of meaning that help young people interpret their place in the world, face existential dilemmas, and shape the values that guide their decisions and relationships. The study draws on a survey of 604 Argentine youth aged 18–29, complemented by insights gathered through focus groups. It forms part of a broader project led by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, in collaboration with the GAD3 agency, involving 4,889 young people from eight countries. The search for transcendence, the need to believe—even among those unaffiliated with any specific faith—and the centrality of personal and autonomous forms of spirituality stand out. These findings invite renewed approaches to youth and religiosity and offer guidance for pastoral initiatives attentive to contemporary ethical and value-based searches.