PHILADELPHIA, PA — American Bible Society today released the first chapter of their 15th annual State of the Bible report, which highlights findings about Americans’ beliefs, attitudes and behaviors toward the Bible, faith and the Church. Today’s release reveals insight into Americans’ current perceptions and usage of the Bible, as well as Bible use and Scripture engagement trends over the last decade and a half. The study found noticeable increases among key demographics, particularly millennials and men. The first chapter of State of the Bible: USA 2025 is now available to download at StateoftheBible.org.

 

“This is a milestone year for State of the Bible. We are delighted to be celebrating 15 years of seeing how Americans engage with, receive, and are changed by the Word of God,” said Jennifer Holloran, president and CEO of American Bible Society. “It’s our prayer that this research continues to be a meaningful, informative, and encouraging resource for pastors, churches and ministries who want to help others on their faith journey. We also hope the report will help equip the Church to thoughtfully respond to those who are searching and point people toward Christ and toward Scripture.”

 

This year, to help ministry leaders put these insights into practice, each State of the Bible chapter will be accompanied by audio and video resources including the State of the Bible Podcast, a series of short videos entitled Insights from State of the Bible and a Church Leader’s Toolkit.

 

“For the first time since 2021, we’re seeing an increase in both Bible Use and Scripture engagement, particularly among younger adults and in men,” said John Farquhar Plake, PhD, American Bible Society’s Chief Innovation Officer and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series. “People are curious about the Bible and Jesus. How will the Church respond? Together we must respond with creativity and innovation. Opportunities like this don’t come along every day, so we need to listen carefully and respond to our neighbors with grace, hope, and truth.”

 

State of the Bible findings come from a nationally representative survey performed for American Bible Society by NORC at the University of Chicago, using their AmeriSpeak panel. The data came from 2,656 online interviews with American adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data were collected from January 2–21, 2025.

 

Key findings analyzed in Chapter 1: The Bible in America

 

  • The number of Bible Users has increased this year from 38% to 41%, which translates to 10 million more American adults reading the Bible outside of church a minimum of three times a year.

 

  • Millennials saw a 29% increase in Bible Use from 2024 to 2025 and men saw a 19% increase, closing the long-time gender gap in Bible Use. In recent years, Millennials and men were among the least likely to use the Bible (pages 4–6).

 

  • Scripture engagement, a deeper measure of Bible interaction, impact and centrality, also saw an increase in 2025, with growth coming from the two youngest generations. In 2024 only 11% of Gen Z and 12% of Millennials were Scripture Engaged, compared to 15% and 17% respectively in 2025 (page 12).

 

  • Just over half of all Americans (51%) say they wish they read the Bible more. But 80% of Americans in the Movable Middle, a group of people who are open to the Bible as a source of spiritual wisdom, wish they read the Bible more (page 17).

 

  • One-third of Bible Users access the Bible only in print while two-thirds of Bible Users access the Bible digitally at least some of the time (page 13).
    • Three out of five digital Bible Users (62%) use Bible apps. The next most popular options are “Bible-based websites” and YouTube (page 14).
  • A majority of Americans are curious about the Bible, Jesus or both, with 56% of all Americans and 82% of the Movable Middle expressing curiosity (page 19).

Continuing monthly through December 2025, American Bible Society will release eight additional chapters in the State of the Bible story, including findings regarding trust in institutions and other people, flourishing, identity and church engagement.

 

To download the first chapter of State of the Bible 2025, visit StateoftheBible.org.

 

*For descriptions on how Scripture engagement is scaled, please see page 30-31 of the ebook available for download at StateoftheBible.org.