With violence in schools and terrorism on television, today’s students are weighted with fear of what might occur during their academic day. New surveys and local religion followers suggest teens might be attending churches on more occasions due to these worries.

Millions of teens are attending church and youth groups more regularly. Recent Gallup surveys showed 92 percent of 13 to 17 year olds consider their religious beliefs important to them. Fifty percent of teens in the United States also said they have attended church in the past seven days. This is about 10 percent higher than the national adult average.

Father Godwin Asuquo of the Newman Catholic Center said after Sept. 11, youths seem to have become more religion-oriented.

“In the past, there was a lot of emphasis on people doing things on their own. In regards to 9/11 and through the difficulties of life, the youth are learning that they can fall back on God,” he said.

Another Gallup survey coincided with what Father Asuquo said, showing teens today are experiencing more stress and fear than before. Forty-eight percent of teens reported their school had a bomb threat since the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 and 23 percent said they are fearful of school violence.

Campus Crusade for Christ, a Christian youth group on campus, has also seen a rise in attendance in the last few years. Tiffany Chinn, a freshman history major, enjoys her youth group not only because it gives her the opportunity to focus on her spirituality but also because it bestows the responsibilities of leadership on students.

Chinn was assigned the position of community group leader and leads regular weekly meetings in residence halls around campus.

“They have an emphasis on student leadership. We get enough adults telling us things in school all day,” she said. “We don’t focus on the quantity of people that come, but we are fixated on the quality of the time they spend with us.”

Malory Malnar, a freshman anthropology major, attends St. Pius X Catholic Church in Rock Island every Sunday and said every generation needs something to believe in. She also said people are finding it easier to open up compared to any other time before.

“Our parents in the ’60s and ’70s were all about revolution,” she said. “Now, our generation is focusing more on new things and expressions instead of fighting ‘The Man.’ Especially since so many new religions have popped up in the last few decades.”