American Bible Society today released the fourth chapter of their 15th annual State of the Bible report, which shares data about self-care and well-being in the United States. This chapter explores five specific self-care activities—physical exercise, spending time with a friend, volunteering, meditation, and prayer—and examines how these behaviors affect stress, anxiety, and loneliness. It also shares the transformative impact of Bible engagement on one’s well-being. The fourth chapter of State of the Bible: USA 2025 is available now for download at StateoftheBible.org.

 “Our research confirms that all the things that people do to improve their general well-being—exercise, seeing friends, and so on—are statistically associated with fuller lives. So is Bible reading,” says John Farquhar Plake, Chief Innovation Officer at American Bible Society and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series. “In fact, the Bible’s connection to lower stress, anxiety, and loneliness is stronger than that of meditation, spending time with a friend, or even exercise. Those who keep coming back to Scripture find reassurance in stressful times, hope for the future, and a growing relationship with the God who knows them intimately and loves them deeply.”

 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 4: Self-Care and Well-Being

  • Scripture Engaged individuals participate more regularly in all five self-care activities than Movable Middle and Scripture Disengaged individuals—suggesting a close connection between Scripture engagement, self-care, and general well-being (page 76).
  • Eighty-seven percent of those in the Movable Middle reported praying to God within the last week. This number is close behind the Scripture Engaged group, where 98% reported praying in the past seven days (page 77).
  • People who have read the Bible during the past week experience significantly less stress (8.0 vs. 9.6) and higher levels of hope (18.6 vs. 16.8) than those who have not (page 83). In addition, their levels of anxiety and loneliness are lower than those who don’t read the Bible on a weekly basis.
  • When experiencing challenging life circumstances, 83% of Scripture Engaged individuals strongly agree that they find great comfort in their faith, while only 11% of Bible Disengaged individuals say the same (page 86). Additionally, 94% of people who read the Bible every day report experiencing awareness that God cares deeply about their suffering, compared to only 53% of those who read the Bible monthly (page 87).

Continuing monthly through December 2025, American Bible Society will release five additional chapters in the State of the Bible story. Upcoming findings include trust in institutions and people, church engagement and behaviors toward friends and neighbors.

To download the fourth chapter of State of the Bible 2025 for free, visit StateoftheBible.org.