How young adults describe the Bible
Percent of U.S. young adults ages 18 through 30, 2023 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Actual word of God, taken literally (46%). Lowest: Inspired, but has some factual or historical errors (11%).
- Actual word of God, taken literally: 46%
- Divinely inspired, some verses symbolic: 39%
- Inspired, but has some factual or historical errors: 11%
Source: Barna Group, Millennials and the Bible: 3 Surprising Insights · MillennialPoll: 1,000 online surveys of a representative sample of U.S. adults ages 18 through 30; margin of error +/-3.1 points. Article published 2023-11-17.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Actual word of God, taken literally (46%). Lowest: Inspired, but has some factual or historical errors (11%). Actual word of God, taken literally: 46%. Divinely inspired, some verses symbolic: 39%. Inspired, but has some factual or historical errors: 11%.
Who published this data?
Barna Group, 2023. Source: Barna Group, Millennials and the Bible: 3 Surprising Insights (https://www.barna.com/research/millennials-and-the-bible-3-surprising-insights/).
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- Activity adults say brings the greatest spiritual satisfaction Barna Group, 2024
- Adults with a biblical worldview Barna Group, 2024
- Areas where new believers are adequately discipled, according to leaders Lifeway Research, 2024
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.