Americans return to reading Scriptures in 12-point jump, study finds

More than 40% of U.S. adults are reading their Bibles weekly for the first time in 15 years, according to Barna Group’s most recent report.

“We should celebrate the increase of Bible readers in our society,” CEO of Barna Group David Kinnaman says. “Then we must commit to help these readers encounter God through the text and integrate what they read into everyday life. That’s where transformation happens.”

The number of Americans who weekly read their Bible jumped 12 points to 42% in just one year. In 2024, a record low 30% of adults reported reading their Bibles at least once a week. Half of self-identified Christians (50%) said Bible reading is at least a weekly habit – the highest percent in more than a decade, according to Barna Group, a faith and culture research firm.  

In 2000, 39% of U.S. adults said they engaged with Scripture at least once a week. That number peaked at 46% in 2010 but had declined or somewhat plateaued until this year.  

Barna Group’s State of the Church 2025 report surveyed more than 12,000 adults. The report found Bible reading specifically spiked among younger adults, with nearly half of Gen Z and Millennials saying they engage Scripture weekly.  

In one year, Gen Z Bible readers – 18-to-28-year-old adults – increased from 30% to 49%. Millennials, 29-to-44-year-olds, jumped 16 points to 50%. Adults ages 45-to-60, known as Gen X, increased to 41%, while anyone over the age of 60 hit the lowest level of 31%. These Boomers peaked at 49% in 2010, according to the report.  

Millennial and Gen Z men are leading the rise, with 57% of Millennial males and 54% of Gen Z males saying they read their Bibles weekly. These percents mark a 21- and 20-point jump, respectively, in just one year.  

While still ahead of older women, Millennial and Gen Z females trail their male counterparts by at least 10 percentage points. As with the men, both female generations significantly increased their Bible-reading in one year, with Gen Z women jumping 19 percentage points to 46%. Millennial women saw a 10-point increase from 33% in 2024 to 43% in 2025.  

“These findings are unexpected,” Kinnaman says. “Women generally have been more religiously active than men. But now, younger men emerge as the most frequent Bible readers. Also, there was a bigger post-pandemic bounce in men’s Bible reading than in women’s usage.” 

While more Americans are reading Scripture, fewer adults say they affirm the Bible’s authority. In 2000, 43% of Americans agreed “the Bible is totally accurate in the principles it teaches,” Barna reports. Today, only 36% of Americans strongly affirm the statement. Less than half of self-identified Christians (44%) say the Bible is inerrant.  

“Engagement is outpacing conviction,” Kinnaman says. “People are opening the Bible more often, but they’re still wrestling with what they believe about it. That gap between reading and trusting is worth paying attention to.” 

While 2025 has certainly raised discussion of religious revival or fervor, Kinnaman calls the shift a “reset moment,” as “Christian faith and practice” return to “Bible engagement levels” from roughly 15 years ago.  

“We’re not necessarily witnessing widespread social transformation,” Kinnaman says. “But we are seeing Americans move back toward patterns of faith that had been fading. That in itself is hopeful.”