Why more young adults are reading the Bible
Last updated
Barna's State of the Church 2025 data found weekly Bible reading among U.S. adults rose to 42 percent, up 12 points since a low in 2024. Gen Z climbed from 30 to 49 percent in a year, and Millennials reached 50 percent. Reading rose faster than agreement that the Bible is authoritative.
What Barna found
Barna interviewed more than 12,000 U.S. adults. Weekly Bible reading was 39 percent in 2000, fell to 30 percent in 2024 and was 42 percent in the new data. Among self-identified Christians it reached 50 percent.
Who is driving it
Millennials rose 16 points to 50 percent. Gen Z rose from 30 to 49 percent in one year. Boomers, who peaked at 49 percent in 2010, are now at 31 percent. Younger men are reading more than younger women, which Barna called unexpected.
What the numbers leave out
Barna notes that reading rose while the share who strongly affirm the Bible's authority did not keep pace. A survey counts how often people read, not how they read.
What this means for a phone-first reader
Young readers tend to read in short sessions. BibleScroll is built for that: one verse at a time, a plain-English explanation on tap and a streak.
Frequently asked questions
What percent of Americans read the Bible weekly?
Barna's 2025 data put it at 42 percent.
Is Gen Z reading the Bible more?
Barna found Gen Z weekly reading rose from 30 to 49 percent in a year.
Who reads the Bible most?
In Barna's 2025 data, younger adults, with young men leading.
Are these numbers a sign of belief?
Not necessarily. Barna says reading rose faster than strong agreement about the Bible's authority.
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