By Movieguide® Staff
After years of steady decline, a new study finds that more Americans are reading the Bible than ever before.
“In 2000, 39 percent of U.S. adults reported reading the Bible weekly — a number that fluctuated for years before falling to 30 percent in 2024,” a report from Barna reads. “Now, based on interviews with more than 12,000 adults, it has climbed back to 42 percent. Among self-identified Christians, the rate reaches 50 percent — the highest level in over a decade.”
Young adults are leading the way, with nearly half of all Millennials and Gen Zers surveyed saying they engage with scripture on a weekly basis.
Related: The Bible is Transforming Gen Z
“I think Gen Z is looking for meaning. And I’ve seen this in myself and even younger people today,” Chase Harper, a Gen Z member, told Arizona’s ABC 15.
Millennial Joseph Silva added, “It’s community, it’s meaning, it’s what does it mean to be a good man.”
Silva came back to the church later in life, explaining, “Going to church, going to college clubs that helped answer questions, reading the Bible myself, praying, studying apologetics, I came to faith.”
Another interesting stat? More young men are reading the Bible regularly than young women.
“These findings are unexpected,” David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group, said. “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.”
Many other studies have supported this surge in young people embracing faith all over the world. The UK’s Quiet Revival Report reported a 16% increase in church attendance among 18–24-year-olds, while Bible sales have increased 50% in Russia in 2024, per Fox News.
Christian music’s popularity is on the rise as well; Christian artist Tasha Layton told Fox News that young listeners have a “seriousness about spirituality,” adding, “I feel a seriousness right now across the country that I don’t think I’ve ever felt in my lifetime.”
In an op-ed for Fox News, Carlos Campo wrote, “The fact is that we’re daily seeing a desire for a genuine encounter with God. It’s clear that younger generations are hungry for existential and spiritual meaning, and value authenticity and virtues that lead to lives modeled on truth.”
“We’re not necessarily witnessing widespread social transformation,” Kinnaman said of Barna’s findings. “But we are seeing Americans move back toward patterns of faith that had been fading. That in itself is hopeful.”
Whether it’s attending church, engaging with scripture or embracing faith-based music, young people all over the world are coming to Christianity.
Read Next: ‘Revival Is Underway’: Bible Sales, Christian Music, Faith Apps on the Rise
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