Faith practices of American adults
Percent of U.S. adults who did each in the past week (prayer: at least weekly), 2018 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Prayer (74%). Lowest: Attended adult Sunday school (16%).
- Prayer: 74%
- Read the Bible: 38%
- Went to a church service: 36%
Source: Barna Group, The State of the Church 2018 · 2,030 interviews with a random sample of U.S. adults aged 18 or older. Article published 2023-09-28.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Prayer (74%). Lowest: Attended adult Sunday school (16%). Prayer: 74%. Read the Bible: 38%. Went to a church service: 36%.
Who published this data?
Barna Group, 2018. Source: Barna Group, The State of the Church 2018 (https://www.barna.com/research/state-church-2018/).
Where can I get the full data and a citation?
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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
- Adults who say they pray every day, selected countries Lifeway Research, 2019
- Churchgoers confident in their ability to help others with Bible struggles Lifeway Research, 2019
- Churchgoers on needing other believers to grow in their walk with God Lifeway Research, 2019
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.