American Bible Society today released the fourth chapter of its 16th annual State of the Bible report, sharing insights around how Americans view their sense of calling through the lens of Scripture engagement, demographics, and more. The data also reveals how calling, interacting with the Bible, and disruptions in life impact well-being. The fourth chapter of State of the Bible: USA 2026 is now available to download at StateoftheBible.org.

“People with a strong sense of calling flourish more—and Scripture is at the heart of that connection. Americans who regularly engage with the Bible are also the most confident in their life calling,” said Dr. John Farquhar Plake, American Bible Society’s Chief Innovation Officer and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series. “And when life is disrupted—by grief, job loss, or a serious illness—people who turn to Scripture find real comfort. Many don’t just endure the hardship; they come through it even stronger.”

This research used five items to measure respondents’ beliefs around calling. The first four items are from the Brief Calling Scale and measure both presence of and searching for a calling. The fifth item, provided by American Bible Society, addresses whether calling is a spiritual experience.

State of the Bible findings come from a nationally representative survey designed by American Bible Society and fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago, using their AmeriSpeak panel. Responses came from 2,649 online and phone interviews with American adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data were collected from January 8–27, 2026.

Key findings analyzed in Chapter 4: Calling

  • 54% of people with a high sense of calling also score high on overall Human Flourishing, compared to only 15% of those without a high sense of calling (page 13).
    • There is a strong correlation between having a sense of calling and all domains of Human Flourishing, including Life Satisfaction, Meaning & Purpose, Character & Virtue, Physical & Mental Health, and Close Social Relationships (page 14).
  • Those who are Scripture Engaged report the highest levels of calling (scoring 7.4 out of 10), whereas Bible Disengaged report the lowest (5.4). The Movable Middle report the highest levels of searching for their calling compared to Scripture Engaged and Bible Disengaged (5.1 to 4.7 and 4.3, respectively) (page 16).
  • Amid hardships, those who regularly engage with Scripture maintain significantly higher flourishing scores between 1–1.5 points compared to those who are not Scripture Engaged (pages 24–25).
  • As generations age, their search for calling steadily decreases. However, there is a slight uptick (about half a point) around age 50, when people are perhaps reassessing mid-life (pages 11–12).
  • More than a third of Americans claim it is mostly or totally true that they have a good understanding of their calling, with only about one in five reporting a lack of calling in work or as it applies to life generally (page 5).
  • 70% of Americans at least somewhat believe that calling is a spiritual experience, with 94% of Practicing Christians affirming this belief (page 15).

Continuing monthly through November 2026, five distinct chapters in this year’s State of the Bible series will be released. Upcoming chapter highlights include findings on church health, flourishing, the supernatural, and forgiveness.

To download the fourth chapter of State of the Bible 2026, visit StateoftheBible.org.

*State of the Bible includes definitions of Scripture Engagement, Bible Use (active and occasional users), Movable Middle, Nones, and other key terms on their website.