Quarter-Life Crisis and Religious Conversion Intention among Generation Z Social Media Users: The Moderating Role of Religiosity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24127/gdn.v16i1.16367Keywords:
quarter-life crisis, religiosity, religious conversion intention, Generation Z, social mediaAbstract
The development of digital technology and social media has reshaped how Generation Z constructs identity, including religious identity. During emerging adulthood, individuals often face social pressure, future uncertainty, and intensive identity exploration, which may trigger a quarter-life crisis characterized by anxiety, confusion, and emotional instability. In this condition, some individuals engage in spiritual exploration and may consider religious conversion as a way to seek meaning, certainty, and psychological stability. This study aimed to examine the relationship between quarter-life crisis and religious conversion intention among Generation Z social media users, as well as the moderating role of religiosity in this relationship. A quantitative survey design was employed using purposive sampling. The participants consisted of social media users aged 18–29 years. Data were analyzed using regression and moderation analysis. The findings indicated that quarter-life crisis did not have a significant direct effect on religious conversion intention. However, religiosity had a positive and significant effect and moderated the relationship between quarter-life crisis and conversion intention. Specifically, religiosity weakened the association between psychological crisis and the tendency to consider religious conversion, suggesting its role as a protective factor in maintaining religious identity stability under psychological pressure. These findings imply that religious commitment may help Generation Z manage identity uncertainty and emotional instability in the digital era. This study contributes to the literature on emerging adulthood, religious identity, and social media by highlighting the psychological and spiritual mechanisms underlying religious conversion intention. Practically, the findings underscore the importance of strengthening religious guidance, digital literacy, and psychosocial support for young adults experiencing identity-related crises.
References
A’ini, N. N., Wahdah, N., & Surawan, S. (2025). Spiritual Coping Strategies to Reduce Academic Stress: a Phenomenological Study of Emerging Adulthood among PAI Students. Ta’dib, 28(1), 245. https://doi.org/10.31958/jt.v28i1.15377
Afdhalia, A., Riyanti, S., Fitriani, A., & Ulpa, E. P. (2024). Strategies for Facing Quarter Life Crisis : The Combination of Religiosity and Peer Pressure in Fresh Graduates. ANFUSINA: Journal of Psychology, 7(2), 186–198. https://doi.org/10.24042/ajp.v7i2.27091
Agustiarini, R. (2023). Quarter life crisis: Exploring the challenges and coping strategies of young adults in their twenties. Syntax Literate: Jurnal Ilmiah Indonesia, 8(10), 2548–1398.
Amalia, I., Rahmi, J., & Geubrina, M. (2025). The Identity Crisis of Islamic Boarding School Students in the Flow of Socio-Cultural Change. Journal of Islamic Religious Education, 9(1), 77–92. https://doi.org/10.30762/edudeena.v9i1.4708
Anggraeni, I. L., & Rozali, Y. A. (2022). QUARTER LIFE CRISIS DITINJAU DARI KECERDASAN. Optimalisasi Potensi Generasi: Membangun Pribadi Yang Tangguh Dalam Berbagai Bidang, 2020, 110–120.
Ardian, M., Abdillah, S., & Nasir, M. (2025). Pendekatan Psikodiagnostik dalam Mengkaji Quarter Life Crisis pada Mahasiswa Generasi Z Tingkat Akhir. PUBLIK : Publikasi Layanan Bimbingan Dan Konseling Islam, 4(2), 92–104.
Arinie, S., & Surawan, S. (2025). Peran Konsumsi Konten Religius di Media Sosial terhadap Kesejahteraan Psikologis Mahasiswa IAIN Palangkaraya. Jurnal Ilmiah Nusantara ( JINU), 2(4), 785–797.
Arnett, J. J. (2024). Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197695937.001.0001
Camino-gaztambide, R. F., Fortuna, L. R., & Stuber, M. L. (2022). Religion and Spirituality Why and How to Address It in Clinical Practice. Child and Adolesc Psychiatric Clinics, 31(4), 615–630.
Daffa, M. F., Afni, N., Agustin, R. N., Jannah, K., Ihsan, M., & Lubis, R. (2025). Konversi Agama: Tahapan, Faktor Pendorong, dan Implikasinya terhadap Perilaku Keagamaan. JURNAL MUDABBIR (Journal Research and Education Studies), 5(2), 27–35.
Dalle, A., & Tobroni, T. (2025). Dimensi-Dimensi dalam Beragama: Spiritual, Intelektual, Emosi, Etika, dan Sosial. Ikhlas : Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Islam, 2(1), 151–165.
Damayanti, Y. D., Ananda, A. S., & Rosalinah, Y. (2025). Exploring Social Media on Gender Identity Development Among Generation Z : A Discourse Analysis on Opportunities , Challenges , and Societal Tensions. Journal of Language and Literature Studies, 5(4), 1160–1170. https://doi.org/10.36312/f9ay1h21
Ehlebracht, M. (2022). Exploring the Impact of Social Media on the Religious and Spiritual Beliefs of Emerging Adults. Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). Wilfrid Laurier University.
Fakhiriyah, A. Y., & Yusuf, I. (2025). The Influence of Da ’ wah Content on Social Media on Generation Z ’ s Religious Understanding at STAI Balikpapan. Dharmawangsa: International Journals of The Social Science, Education and Humanities, 6(3), 395–404. https://doi.org/10.46576/ijsseh.v6i3.7198
Glock, C. Y., & Stark, R. (1965). Religion and Society in Tension. Rand McNally & Company.
Habibie, A., Syakarofath, N. A., & Anwar, Z. (2019). Peran Religiusitas terhadap Quarter-Life Crisis ( QLC ) pada Mahasiswa. Gadjah Mada Journal of Psychology, 5(2), 129–138. https://doi.org/10.22146/gamajop.48948
Haliza, N., Wahdah, N., Surawan, S., & Awang, S. (2025). Second Account Instagram As Spiritual Spaces For Urban Sufis And Self-Expression On Social Media. Akademika: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam, 30(2), 236. https://doi.org/10.32332/akademika.v30i2.11193
Hamdanah, H., & Surawan, S. (2022). Remaja dan dinamika: tinjauan psikologi dan pendidikan. K-Media.
Hamdaniati, A. (2025). Fostering The Future : Examining The Meaning Of Life And Optimism In Generation Z. Academic Journal of Psychology and Counseling, 6(1), 115–142.
Hayati, R., & Sitanggang, C. M. (2024). Spiritual health of the millennial generation facing the quarter life crisis. International Conference on Research Issues and Community Service, 103–111. https://doi.org/10.31332/i-cores.v1i1.11052
Helwa, W. A. (2026). Community behavior on social media: the existence of gen z in fulfilling islamic religious fear of missing out (fomo) in Pagutan Indah. Jurnal Pendidikan Islam Anak Usia Dini, 8(1), 100–130. https://doi.org/10.36088/assabiqun.v8i1.6019
Hoover, B. C. (2016). Emerging Adults’ Religiousness and Spirituality: Meaning-Making in an Age of Transition. Sociology of Religion, 77(1), 106–107. https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/srw004
Ilman, M. H., & Nurjannah. (2025). Menghadapi Quarter Life Crisis : Peran Konseling Islam dalam Ketahanan Mental dan Spiritual. Al Amiyah : Jurnal Ilmiah Multidisiplin, 2(1), 71–80.
Khasanah, K. N., Wahdah, N., & Surawan, S. (2025). Relational Culture : Parental Support and Intimate Friendship in Strengthening Students ’ Career Decision -Making Self- Efficacy. Bisma The Journal of Counseling, 9(2), 336–351. https://doi.org/10.23887/bisma.v9i2.97232
Koenig, L. B. (2015). Change and Stability in Religiousness and Spirituality in Emerging Adulthood. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 176(6), 369–385. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2015.1082458
Layinah, L., Kosasih, A., & Tohari, H. M. (2025). Fitrah and Character Formation of Generation Z in the Society 5.0 Era. Atthulab: Islamic Religion Teaching and Learning Journal, 10(1), 88–104. https://doi.org/10.15575/atthulab.v10i1.43757
Liu, Z., Ghouri, A. M., Wang, J., & Lin, C. (2025). Digital religion and Generation Z: an empirical study in the context of China. Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 16-2025. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536644
Maghfira, R., & Rozaq, M. (2024). The Impact of Flexing Content Dependence on the Quarter-Life Crisis Phase of Final Year Students. Komunikatif: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 13(1), 16–32. https://doi.org/10.33508/jk.v13i1.5416
Majidah, A. M., & Lestari, S. (2023). Religious Coping pada Penghafal Al- Qur ’ an d alam Menghadapi Fase Krisis Seperempat Baya. JPIB: Jurnal Psikologi Islam Dan Budaya, 6(2), 77–94. https://doi.org/10.15575/jpib.v6i2.24990
Masluchah, L., Mufidah, W., & Lestari, U. (2022). Konsep Diri Dalam Menghadapi Quarter Life Crisis. IDEA: Jurnal Psikologi, 6(1), 13–28.
Mawey, H. E., & Ondong, A. G. (2024). Jurnal murid kristus peran pendidikan kristen di Gereja dalam menghadapi anak muda. Jurnal Murid Kristus, 1(2), 111–123. https://doi.org/10.63422/mk.v1i2.18
Mazru, A. A. M. (2025). The effect of deviation in reasoning on the true belief – A doctrinal study. Journal of Education for the Humanities, 5(19), 677–712. https://doi.org/10.33899/jeh.2025.188217
Michaels, J. L., Petrino, J., & Pitre-Zampol, T. (2021). Individual Differences in Religious Motivation Influence How People Think. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 60(1), 64–82.
Nurhalimah, & Isnaeni, H. (2024). TAWAKAL SEBAGAI UPAYA MENGATASI QUARTER LIFE CRISIS EMERGING ADULTHOOD DI ERA DISRUPSI. MA’HAD ALY, 1(2), 1–16.
Pamungkas, P. R., & Hendrastomo, G. (2024). QUARTER LIFE CRISIS DI KALANGAN MAHASISWA. Saskara, 4(1), 174–190.
Papanikolopoulos, P. N., & Kaprinis, S. G. (2022). Religiosity and mental health of adolescents and young adults: a review. Psychiatriki, 33(2), 157–165. https://doi.org/10.22365/jpsych.2021.036
Permana, F. B., & Psikologi, M. S. (2025). Quarter Life Crisis in Emerging Adulthood Quarter Life Crisis Pada Masa Emerging Adulthood. 14(2), 187–195.
Permana, F. B., & Sulastri, A. (2025). Quarter Life Crisis in Emerging Adulthood Quarter Life Crisis Pada Masa Emerging Adulthood. Psikostudia: Jurnal Psikologi, 14(2), 187–195.
Porche, M. V, Fortuna, L. R., Wachholtz, A., & Stone, R. T. (2015). Distal and Proximal Religiosity as Protective Factors for Adolescent and Emerging Adult Alcohol Use. Religions, 6(2), 365–384. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6020365
Pratama, J. A., Safitri, J., & Akbar, S. N. (2024). Peranan Kecerdasan Emosional terhadap Quarter Life Crisis pada Perempuan Generasi Z di Kota Banjarmasin. Kognisia, 7(2), 65–75. https://doi.org/10.20527/kognisia.2024.10.008
Ramadhan, N. A., Islam, U., Maulana, N., & Ibrahim, M. (2022). Teknik merawat kualitas diri pada dewasa awal : Belajar dari pengalaman Self-care techniques for early adults : Learning from experience. Journal of Indonesian Psychological Science, 03(2).
Ratih, K. W., Virgonita, M., & Winta, I. (2024). MEMAHAMI FENOMENA QUARTER LIFE CRISIS PADA GENERASI Z : TANTANGAN DAN PELUANG. JURNAL KESEHATAN TAMBUSAI, 5(September), 8186–8193.
Ratnasari, D., Grafiyana, G. A., Nur’aini, N., & Wahidah, F. R. N. (2023). Coping with quarter-life crisis : An analysis of the role of social support and coping stress on senior university students. INSPIRA: Indonesian Journal of Psychological Research, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.32505/inspira.v4i2.6977
Romario, R. (2022). Generation Z and the Search for Religious Knowledge on Social Media. HIKMATUNA: Journal for Integrative Islamic Studies, 8(2), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.28918/hikmatuna.v8i2.6062
Sholikhah, T. M., & Fauzan, A. (2025). Quarter Life Crisis in College Students : How Do Religiosity and Self-Efficacy Affect ? ANFUSINA: Journal of Psychology, 8(1), 87–104. https://doi.org/10.24042/ajp.v8i1.18337
Sinta, D., Rahmat, M., Anwar, S., & Nurhuda, A. (2024). RELIGIOSITY AND MATURITY IN HELPING TO DEAL WITH THE QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS IN THE MILLENNIAL. Al-Hikmah: Jurnal Agama Dan Ilmu Pengetahuan, 21(2), 214–227.
Sinta, D., Rahmat, M., Anwar, S., Nurhuda, A., & bin Engku Ab Rahman, E. S. (2024). Religiusitas dan Kematangan Beragama dalam Membantu Menghadapi Quarter-Life Crisis Bagi Kalangan Generasi Milenial. Al-Hikmah: Jurnal Agama Dan Ilmu Pengetahuan, 21(2 SE-Articles), 214–227. https://doi.org/10.25299/al-hikmah:jaip.2024.vol21(2).16940
Soleh, M., Kuncoro, I., & Ma’ruf, C. (2023). Exploring New Cultures and Their Implications for Gen-Z Religious Life: A Sociological and Anthropological Perspective in the Contemporary Era. Al Irsyad: Jurnal Studi Islam, 2(2), 83–92. https://doi.org/10.54150/alirsyad.v2i2.223
Soraya, S. Z., & Puspitasari, R. N. (2025). Islamic coping stress and quarter-life crisis among generation Z college students. Journal of Education and Learning, 19(1), 287–293. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v19i1.21382
Syarifuddin, S., Hrp, A. S., & Badawi, M. R. (2026). The Importance of Religion and Spiritually Oriented Knowledge in the Lives of Generation Z. SIASAT, 11(1), 27–37.
Talik, E., & Augustyn, K. (2025). Is Religiosity a Protective or a Risk Factor Against Worry in Polish Adolescents?: The Mediating Role of the Religious Coping Strategies. Journal of Religion and Health, 64(6), 4372–4390. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-025-02382-8
Tohari, A. (2024). The Impact of Digital Information Flow on Generation Z’s Religious Awareness. Jurnal Penelitian Agama, 25(2), 191–208. https://doi.org/10.24090/jpa.v25i2.2024.pp191-208
Utami, S. E., Ihsani, H., Titisemita, A., & Handayani, S. (2023). Peran religious coping terhadap quarter life crisis pada mahasiswa. Journal on Education, 5(03), 8299–8307. https://doi.org/10.31004/joe.v5i2.1618
Walker, A. B. (2019). An Exploration of Family Factors Related to Emerging Adults’ Religious Self-Identification. Religions, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10030172
Yasmin, T. P., & Harnedi, J. (2025). Peran Teologi Islam dalam Resiliensi Kesehatan Mental Remaja Generasi Z. ISME : Journal of Islamic Studies and Multidisciplinary Research, 3(2), 116–122.
Yunanto, T. A., & Putra, D. A. A. (2023). Pengalaman Mencapai Flourishing pada Masa Quarter LifeCrisis. Jurnal Psikologi Sains Dan PROFESI, 7(3).
Yusuf, Z., Khozin, & Zulian, P. B. (2024). The Effective Strategies for Developing Religious Character Based on School Culture: The Perspectives of Thomas Lickona and Glock & Stark. Progresiva : Jurnal Pemikiran Dan Pendidikan Islam, 13(03), 393–404. https://doi.org/10.22219/progresiva.v13i03.36719
Zhang, L. (2025). The digital age of religious communication: The shaping and challenges of religious beliefs through social media. Studies on Religion and Philosophy, 1(1), 25–41.
Ziang, W., Jindong, J., Xuan, C., & Yinglin, L. (2024). When income meets faith: the development and application of the Chinese generation Z unconventional religious orientation scale. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 326. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01835-1
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with GUIDENA: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, Psikologi, Bimbingan dan Konseling agree to the following terms:
GUIDENA: Journal Of Guidance And Counseling, Psychology, And Education is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. GUIDENA offers all authors of journal articles allows their research openly available, free access and time restrictions.
All articles published Open Access will be immediately and permanently free for everyone to read and download. Under the CC-BY license, authors retain ownership of the copyright for their article, but authors grant others permission to use the content of publications in GUIDENA in whole or in part provided that the original work is properly cited. Users (redistributors) of GUIDENA are required to cite the original source, including the author's names, GUIDENA as the initial source of publication, year of publication, volume number and DOI (if available).
