07.09.2026
CIYD Launches Major Confirmation Survey
Are you one of the hundreds of people who have been Confirmed in Dublin and Glendalough since 2017? If you are, CIYD (the Church of Ireland Youth Department) wants to hear from you.
CIYD is launching a major Confirmation Survey for EVERYONE who was Confirmed throughout the Church of Ireland since 2017. They want to hear as many experiences as possible: what was the preparation like, how did you feel about the service, what difference did Confirmation make to your faith? The survey is completely anonymous, there will be no way to trace individual answers, so you can be as honest as you like.
CIYD wants to get as big a picture of Confirmation as possible so as to improve it for the next generation. The research will seek to identify the ideal age to get Confirmed; the most impactful preparation; and what other things influence the faith of teenagers in the Church of Ireland. The more they know, the more Confirmation can be even better for those people being Confirmed over the next few years.
“What did your Confirmation mean to you?” Luke Hawkins, CIYD Youth Ministry Development Officer (Southern Region) asks. “For me, coming to Ireland from the Church of England (where Confirmation is not taken as seriously) it felt like I was becoming part of the family, part of the Church of Ireland. I’m sure that you can remember your own experiences.”
He adds: “According to our 2024 Youth Work Audit, there are more than 1,000 people, most of them teenagers, Confirmed into the Church of Ireland every year: what does Confirmation mean to them? The Church of Ireland Youth Department would like to find out.”
CIYD has designed the survey with support from Prof Leslie Francis of Warwick University, Bishop Michael Burrows and Bishop Ferran Glenfield, along with Diocesan Youth Officers from across the Church of Ireland.
The deadline to respond is December 31 after which Prof Francis and his team will analyse the results.
They need at least 500 responses and so that is where you come in. Were you Confirmed in the Church of Ireland since 2017? If so, CIYD urge you to take the survey. Are you a parent, guardian, grandparent or in any way connected with someone who has been Confirmed since 2017? Then please pass on the survey to them. It will only take five minutes to complete.
Just scan the QR code or go to https://forms.gle/wK7NkwhRf9yBXaZU9
“Thank you for your time, completing this survey will really help the next generation to have a better Confirmation experience,” Luke concludes.