The Bible is in 87% of American Households

By Alison Lesley --
05 Apr 2017 --

Bible-reading habits in America are now showing a positive trend.

The Bible is in 87% of American Households[/tweetthis]

This news comes as a matter of great relief to Christian church leaders who were worked up by the rapid drop in Bible reading habits in America. This change may have any number of reasons. The main point, however, is that the Bible is once again a book of hope for an overwhelming number of Americans.[/tweetit]

Here are the key findings of the research:

Engagement with the Bible is getting stable

The number of engaged readers tanked in the year 2011, while the number of Bible skeptics showed a sharp increase. The percentage of engaged readers, however, has remained stable ever since, although it was forecasted that the downward trend would continue. This segment of engaged readers is still the dominant.

Older Americans are more engaged than millennials

The research shows older people are more engaged in reading the Bible than millennials. The average age for engaged readers is 53, while the average age of skeptics is 43. Elders grew only five percent among skeptics and 12 percent among engaged Bible readers.

More women are believers than men

Women seem to be more religious than men. The research shows more women are engaged Bible readers compared to men. 60 percent women are Bible-friendly when compared to just 40 percent men. In contrast, only 41 percent of women are skeptics when compared to 59 percent of men.

Print is still the preferred version, although use of alternatives are on the rise

91 percent Bible readers have indicated they still prefer using a printed version of the Bible. 92 percent have said they have used other formats in the past year. This indicates that although print versions are still the dominant way to read the Bible, alternate versions are also on a steady rise.

Most homes have Bibles

87 percent of homes have at least one Bible. This is a number that has stayed consistent since 2011. 82 percent of millennials are least likely to own a Bible.

Skeptics are hostile towards the Bible

A whopping 78 percent of the skeptics are hostile towards the Bible.

Half of the Americans pray with the Bible

The number of people who engage with the Bible by reading, listening or praying has remained consistent at 50 percent.

Most Americans wish they used the Bible more

More than half (58 percent) of Americans wished they could use the Bible more. This number has decreased from 61 percent in 2016.

Bible is important to faith journey

56 percent of the people who have increased Bible reading habits say the Bible is an important part of their faith journey.