The American Bible Society has released a new chapter for its “State of the Bible USA” and the survey is revealing a “complicated” relationship between Americans and the Bible. The data is from 2,649 online and phone interviews with American adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia collected from January 8-27, 2026.The study found that the number of Americans who are “Scripture engaged” took a slight dip from 20% in 2025 to 17% in 2026. In 2025, the percent of “occasional” Bible users had increased from 13% to 16%, but had returned to 13% in 2026. Those who identified as “active Bible users” also dropped slightly from 26% in 2025 to 25% in 2026. There was also a perceptible drop amongst men who identified as occasional Bible readers, dropping from 17% to 10%. However, the number of men who identified as active did slightly increase from 22% in 2024 to 24% in 2026, narrowing the gap between men and women, which researchers took as a sign of a positive trend.

More promising, according to researchers were gains made in the so-called “movable middle.” This group identifies people who are open to more Bible use but don’t engage in it regularly. Those who were identified in this category had increased from 25% in 2024 to 28% in 2026. “The growth of the Movable Middle tells us that people are still open to the Bible,” researchers noted. “But maybe they just don’t know what to do with it because the Bible is a massive, complex book. This is an invitation for pastors and church leaders to step into the gap and show people how to engage with God’s Word.”

The study also explored Americans’ Bible reading habits, with 58% of Scripture-engaged individuals reading the Bible “a few verses at a time.” Fifty-four percent of the movable middle did so as well. Fifty percent of those who are Scripture-engaged also follow a Bible reading plan while 40% attend a Bible study. Regarding how much of the Bible Americans have read, 48% have read “at least half” of the Bible or more. Seventeen percent have read the whole Bible while 35% have read a little. Only 10% stated they had read none of the Bible. Americans’ attitudes towards the Bible have much to do with how much they’ve read, with 60% of those who believe “The Bible was written to control or manipulate other people” having read little or none of it. Meanwhile, 64% of those who agree that “The message of the Bible has transformed my life” have read most or all of it. Dr. Jennifer Holloran, President and CEO of American Bible Society, stated she hopes the study’s resources can be used by churches to increase areas of promise. “With another year of State of the Bible underway, it is our prayer at American Bible Society that these findings, accompanied by the resources we’re pairing with each chapter, will equip church leaders,” she said. “Our hope is to empower them to effectively minister to and care for those who are curious about the Bible, fostering a deeper understanding of the transformational impact of scripture.”