Reading the Bible is correlated with greater levels of hope, while 44% of Americans think society would be worse off without it, survey finds

A recent survey by the American Bible Society found that those who read the Bible reported feeling “far more hopeful” regardless of their current circumstances.

The survey, titled “State of the Bible 2023,” used a “Persevering Hope” scale to rank levels of hope in participants based on their engagement with the Bible, with those who read the Bible scoring an average of 3.8 out of 5.

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However, the survey also found that the number of Americans reading the Bible has decreased by over 10% since the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, with only 39% of participants currently reading it. Nonetheless, the survey revealed that 44% of Americans believe society would be “worse off” without the Bible as part of its ethos. While 41% of respondents think little would change, 14% believe a “Bible-less America would be better.”

Interestingly, the survey did not find any correlation between decreased Bible engagement and a decline in morality in America. Respondents cited a lack of positive parental involvement (26%), negative effects of entertainment (23%), and an unhealthy dependence on social media (16%) as the primary reasons for societal moral decay.

The survey sampled 2,761 adults from all 50 states between January 5th-30th, 2021, and had a confidence level of 95%, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.59 percentage points.