Barna conducted its annual State of the Bible survey, in partnership with American Bible Society, to examine behaviors and beliefs about the Bible among U.S. adults. The results show that, despite shifting cultural trends, Americans still read the Word, and it remains a powerful, transformative tool in their life. These and other snapshots are included in our list of top seven findings from this year’s State of the Bible report.

1. Half of Americans Are Bible Users Overall, about half of Americans are “Bible users”—that is, they engage with the Bible on their own by using, listening to, watching, praying or using Bible text or content in any format (not including use at a church service) at least three to four times a year (48%). Bible use has remained relatively consistent since 2011. Adults who use the Bible daily account for 14 percent of the total adult population, followed by 13 percent who use it several times a week, 8 percent who do so once a week, 6 percent about once a month and 8 percent who use it three to four times a year.

2. Bible Use More Likely Among Boomers, City Dwellers and Southerners City dwellers (53%) and small town or rural (49%) residents report higher use of the Bible than do adults who reside in the suburbs (42%). Above-average use can also be found among residents of the South (55%), particularly compared to the other regions: the Northeast (42%), the West (44%) and the Midwest (49%). Millennials (47%), Gen X (45%) and Elders (48%) are slightly less likely to use the Bible than Boomers (51%).

3. Use of Technology to Read the Bible Has Grown Steadily For Bible users, the appeal of a print version of the Bible remains high at almost nine in 10 (89%). Little has changed in the preference for a physical copy of the scriptures in the last eight years since tracking began. Although use of digital formats is also on par with 2017, in general, use has steadily climbed since 2011. More than half of users now search for Bible content on the internet (57%) or a smartphone (55%), and another 42 percent use a Bible app on their phones. More than one-third listens to a teaching via podcast (35%) or audio version of the Bible (36%). Usage for all these formats continues to grow each year with the exception of small group usage, which appears to be on the decline again after having trended upward.