Almost half of young Germans say they believe in the existence of hell
A survey shows that those aged 70 and over are the most sceptical: only 20 per cent agree with this biblical doctrine.
Idea · 01 SEPTEMBER 2026 · 18:40 CET
A new survey in Germany shows (again) that young people have greater faith in Christian doctrines than older people.
A study by INSA-Consulere for the Christian news agency IDEA, involving more than 2,000 people, shows that 47% of those aged between 18 and 29 believe in the existence of hell as described in the Bible.
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The average across all age groups in Germany falls to 33% (one in three), whilst more men (34%) than women agree (32%). It is amongst those aged 70 and over that the highest proportion of people reject the idea of hell as described in the Bible: only 20% believe in it.
Generally speaking, 40% of those surveyed in Germany do not believe in the existence of hell, whilst 22% say they ‘do not know’.
The exact question in the representative survey, conducted in August 2026, was: ‘What is your position on the following statement: “I believe that a hell as described in the Bible really exists”’.
By religion, those most likely to agree were members of independent churches (mostly evangelical) at 61%. Among those who identified as Roman Catholics, only 40% agreed. Even fewer believe in hell amongst members of the historic Protestant Church (38%).
By contrast, 59% of Muslims agreed, a figure higher than that of the majority of respondents who identify as Christians.
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