American's Read The Bible (poll)

[Allabord4Jah]

Why Americans Read The Bible

Huffington Post March 14, 2014

 

(Poll taken about Bible Reading in U.S.A.)

 

The number of people in America who do not identify with any religion may be at an all-time high, but the Bible still holds an important place in the lives of many Americans, a new report suggests.  According to a study, “The Bible in American Life," conducted by the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture, 50% of Americans read some form of scripture in the past year, and 48% of those read the Bible. Four in 5 read it at least once a month, and 9% of Americans say they read the Bible daily.

According to the General Social Survey, the report says, nearly eight in ten Americans regard the Bible as either the literal word of God or as inspired by God. Fifty percent of those who have not read the Bible still believe it to be the "divinely inspired Word of God," which is even higher -- by 4 percentage points -- than those who do read the Bible.

 

When asked why they read the Bible, respondents named the number one reason as being personal prayer and devotion. Many also said they read the Bible to learn more about their religion -- over 78% of Americans identify as Christian, according to Pew Research. Some also read the Bible in search of guidance in personal decisions and improving relationships.

 

Consulting Scripture for personal prayer is three times more common than turning to the Bible to learn about hot-button issues like abortion, homosexuality, war or poverty. Nearly half of the 48% who do read the Bible on their own said they turned most favorably to the Book of Psalms, particularly noting Psalm 23, which begins “the Lord is my shepherd.”

 

Historian Mark Noll commented on this finding, "The Bible has historically been a source of great comfort and consolation for those who read it regularly, or who turn to it in times of crisis. This historical usage of scripture seems to have continued, and with surprising strength, into the present.”  The study also found that age, race, gender, region and education affected whether, how often and the reasons for which respondents read scripture.

 

Women were more likely than men to read scripture, older people were more likely to read than younger, southerners more likely to read than those of any other region, and African-Americans were more likely to read than those of any other race.

 

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[Allabord4Jah]

Then of course, you have these headlines right after a article like the one above:

 

More Americans Than Ever Before Say Religion Is 'Not That Important' To Them 1 In 5 Americans Say Religion Is 'Not That Important' To Them

Americans are losing faith. At least, that's the conclusion of a new poll on religion.  Jointly conducted by NBC and The Wall Street Journal, the poll found that 21 percent of Americans feel religion is "not that important" in their lives. This, NBC News writes, is the "highest percentage" recorded since the survey was first conducted in 1997. "The poll showed that these less religious Americans are more likely to be men, have an income over $75,000, to live in the Northeast or West and to be under the age of 35," says NBC.

 

For more on the NBC-WSJ poll results, click here.

This isn't the first time that a survey of the American public has indicated a dip in religiosity. A Harris Poll last year found that only 74 percent of American adults believe in God -- an 8 percent fall since 2009. Moreover, according to a 2012 WIN-Gallup International survey, the country is one of the top 10 in the world to have experienced a "notable decline in religiosity" since 2005.  Though the number of non-religious people may be on the rise in the country, NBC writes that there is still a significant proportion of Americans who are religious. More than 50 percent of respondents in the new poll said that religion is very important to them.

 

(I found this more accurate then the "poll" taken above.  I can vouch for this article, because more and more people I meet, now say they have no religion affiliation).  

[Allabord4Jah]

Then of course, you have these headlines right after a article like the one above:

 

More Americans Than Ever Before Say Religion Is 'Not That Important' To Them 1 In 5 Americans Say Religion Is 'Not That Important' To Them

Americans are losing faith. At least, that's the conclusion of a new poll on religion.  Jointly conducted by NBC and The Wall Street Journal, the poll found that 21 percent of Americans feel religion is "not that important" in their lives. This, NBC News writes, is the "highest percentage" recorded since the survey was first conducted in 1997. "The poll showed that these less religious Americans are more likely to be men, have an income over $75,000, to live in the Northeast or West and to be under the age of 35," says NBC.

 

For more on the NBC-WSJ poll results, click here.

This isn't the first time that a survey of the American public has indicated a dip in religiosity. A Harris Poll last year found that only 74 percent of American adults believe in God -- an 8 percent fall since 2009. Moreover, according to a 2012 WIN-Gallup International survey, the country is one of the top 10 in the world to have experienced a "notable decline in religiosity" since 2005.  Though the number of non-religious people may be on the rise in the country, NBC writes that there is still a significant proportion of Americans who are religious. More than 50 percent of respondents in the new poll said that religion is very important to them.

 

(I found this more accurate then the "poll" taken above.  I can vouch for this article, because more and more people I meet, now say they have no religion affiliation).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

WIN-Gallup International

GLOBAL INDEX OF RELIGIOSITY AND ATHEISM -

2012

GLOBAL INDEX OF

RELIGION AND ATHEISM

Press Release

:

International Queries

Global Index of

RELIGION AND ATHEISM

Question:

Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worsh

ip or

not, would you say you are

a religious person, not a religious

persons or a convinced atheist?

According to the latest global poll released by WIN

-Gallup

International, a world-wide network of leading opin

ion pollsters,

Ireland rates as one of the least religious countri

es.

59%

of the world said that they think of themselves as

religious

person,

23%

think of themselves as not religious whereas

13%

think

of themselves as convinced atheists. However, when

we

compare this to

the Irish population, only 47%

consider themselves

religious, placing Ireland low on the index of bein

g religious

coming in at position 43 out of 57 countries.

GLOBAL INDEX OF RELIGIOSITY AND ATHEISM -

2012

The WIN-Gallup International‘Religion and Atheism Index’

which measures global self-perceptions on beliefs is base

d on interviews with more than 50,000 men and women selected from 5

7countries across the globe in five continents. The

survey also provides trend data for shifts in attitudes since 2005.

A world-wide poll conducted by WIN-Gallup International, anetwork of the world’s top most independent pollsters, askedexactly the same question in 57countries across the globe:

 

RELIGIOSITY IS HIGHER AMONG THE POOR: People in bottom income groups are 17% more religious than those in top income groups.It is interesting that Religiosity declines as worldly prosperity of individuals rises. While the results for nations as a whole are mixed, individual respondents within a country show a revealing pattern.If citizens of each of the 57 countries are grouped into five groups,

from the relatively poor to relatively rich in their own countries, the richer you get, the less religious you

Edited March 14, 2014 by allabord4jah