Protestant churchgoers' views on reading and explaining the Bible
Percent of American Protestant churchgoers who agree, 2026 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Enjoy exploring a passage to understand it (95%). Lowest: Find it challenging to make sense of the Bible alone (56%).
- Enjoy exploring a passage to understand it: 95%
- Can read a passage and understand its relevance: 91%
- Could address doubts about truthfulness of Scripture: 84%
Source: Lifeway Research, Churchgoers Increasingly Reject Some Biblical Truths · Online survey of 1,200 American Protestant churchgoers; 95% confidence, plus or minus 3.2%. Article published 2026-09-22.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Enjoy exploring a passage to understand it (95%). Lowest: Find it challenging to make sense of the Bible alone (56%). Enjoy exploring a passage to understand it: 95%. Can read a passage and understand its relevance: 91%. Could address doubts about truthfulness of Scripture: 84%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2026. Source: Lifeway Research, Churchgoers Increasingly Reject Some Biblical Truths (https://research.lifeway.com/2026/09/22/churchgoers-increasingly-reject-some-biblical-truths/).
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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
- Churchgoers' agreement with statements about Bible engagement 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
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.