Americans are split on how to approach the accuracy of the Bible according to a new survey. The American Bible Society (ABS) released its seventh chapter of its 15^th annual State of the Bible, with a focus on how Americans approach trust in particular institutions. The survey questioned 2,656 American adults through online interviews conducted between January 2-21. The study broke down how Americans approached trust in eight different categories: Families, Medicine, Education, Religion, Arts & Entertainment, Banking & Business, Government, and Media.

One particular area respondents were questioned on was trust in the Bible. According to the survey, 18% of US adults believe the Bible was written to control and manipulate people. Thirty-six percent stated they believed the Bible is “totally accurate” while 39% were skeptical of the claim.  Twenty-four percent stated they believe the Bible is just another book of instruction. The average trust in religion amongst Americans came out to 1.8 on a scale from 0 to 4, with the category of Family having the highest area of trust (2.4). Seventeen percent of those interviewed indicated “no trust” in religion. The study found that those who were more Scripture engaged tended to express more trust than others, with trust in the Bible coming to 2.8. Those who experienced trauma in the form of abuse and unwanted sexual contact showed the lowest rates of trust.

Researchers noted that despite some reservations about the reliability of the Bible, the majority, 58%, stated the Bible has transformed their lives. This number, if extrapolated across the country, could come out to around 148 million people. “They might define those terms in various ways, they may understand the message differently, the transformation might be big or small, but these people … are willing to say on a survey that they’ve been changed by the Bible’s message,” researchers wrote.

John Farquhar Plake, Chief Innovation Officer at ABS and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible, discussed how the survey shows the shifting opinion in the US. “A half-century ago, Americans generally trusted the Bible. Attitudes are more complex these days. Our latest survey finds a mixture of belief and questioning in the American public. It’s true that nearly one in five Americans think the Bible was written to control and manipulate, but twice that many trust the Bible as ‘totally accurate in all the principles it presents.’ The numbers show a nation grappling with Scripture—and its meaning for our lives.”