Headlines about Gen Z Canadians flocking back to church spread quickly through the mainstream media last fall. But sociologists who follow religious trends say the evidence behind those claims is thinner and more nuanced than reports suggested.

The coverage was sparked by a cross-border study released last November by the Angus Reid Institute and Cardus comparing American and Canadian attitudes toward faith and religion.

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The result that drew so much attention: 24 percent of Canadians aged 18 to 24, also known as Generation Z, defined themselves as “religiously committed” — the highest rate among all age groups surveyed.

The study defines religious commitment as “professing deep devotion” and researchers noted the figure appeared to mark a possible shift after a long decline in religious affiliation.

It didn’t take long for media outlets on both sides of the border to pick up the story. But in doing so, several blurred an important distinction: religious commitment is not the same as religious attendance. And in many cases, coverage appeared to rely more on anecdote than on clear evidence of a broader social change.

In early November, CTV aired a segment suggesting a rise in church attendance among Canadian youth, calling it a “quiet revival.” A few weeks later, CBC Radio’s The........

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