Many Americans are searching for beacons of hope and moral grounding amidst uncertainty and perceived moral decline. Barna conducted the annual State of the Bible survey, commissioned by American Bible Society, to examine behaviors and beliefs about the Bible among U.S. adults. The results show that Americans overwhelmingly believe the Bible is a source of hope and a force for good even as they express growing concern for our nation’s morals. These and other snapshots are included in our list of top 10 findings from this year’s State of the Bible report.

Bible Engagement Is Stabilizing Levels of Bible engagement appear to be stabilizing after the brief dip in the Engaged segment since 2013 and the steady increase in Skeptics in recent years. Levels of the Neutral segment have remained somewhat steady since 2011 hovering around the low- to mid-twenties. After a significant drop from 2011 to 2012, the Friendly segment has also remained steady in the high thirties, and still represents the largest segment of the American population.

Average Age Increases as Engagement Increases The older you get the more likely you are to be engaged with the Bible. That is, the average age increases with each Bible engagement segment, from Skeptic to Engaged. The average age among Skeptics is 43, which increases to 45 for Neutral, 47 for Friendly and 53 for Engaged. Millennials drop from 32 percent among Skeptics to 17 percent among Engaged. Similarly, Elders grow from only 5 percent among Skeptics to 12 percent among Engaged.