Churchgoers' agreement with statements about Bible engagement
Percent of U.S. Protestant churchgoers who agree, 2026 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Bible has authority over every area of life (74%). Lowest: Feel unfulfilled after days without reading the Bible (58%).
- Bible has authority over every area of life: 74%
- Think about biblical truths throughout the day: 72%
- Desperately miss time with God after days without reading: 62%
Source: Lifeway Research, 3 Ways to Create a Bible Reading Culture in Your Church · Online survey of over 2,000 Protestant churchgoers. Article published 2026-02-16.
See all 4 categories, the full chart and more
Free account: full chart, CSV and PNG downloads, ready-to-paste citation, branded share image, and a discussion question for your team.
Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Bible has authority over every area of life (74%). Lowest: Feel unfulfilled after days without reading the Bible (58%). Bible has authority over every area of life: 74%. Think about biblical truths throughout the day: 72%. Desperately miss time with God after days without reading: 62%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2026. Source: Lifeway Research, 3 Ways to Create a Bible Reading Culture in Your Church (https://research.lifeway.com/2026/02/16/3-ways-to-create-a-bible-reading-culture-in-your-church/).
Where can I get the full data and a citation?
Create a free Leader Insights account to open the full chart, download CSV or PNG, copy a citation and save the statistic to your own library.
More Bible & Discipleship statistics
- Americans in the Movable Middle, curious about the Bible American Bible Society, 2026
- Americans who have not read any of the Bible American Bible Society, 2026
- Churches with an intentional plan for discipling individuals Lifeway Research, 2026
- Churchgoers who read the Bible at least a few times a week Lifeway Research, 2026
- Discipleship habits of Protestant churchgoers Lifeway Research, 2026
- How often churchgoers pray for non-Christians they know Lifeway Research, 2026
About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.