There’s an increase in Bible use and Scripture engagement among younger Americans and men, according to a new study from the American Bible Society.
In fact, the first chapter of the organization’s annual State of the Bible report titled, “The Bible in America,” found a rise in Bible users from 38% to 41%, which means there are 10 million more U.S. adults reading the Bible outside houses of worship at least three times each year.
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But the increases are particularly notable among young people and men.
“Millennials saw a 29% increase in Bible Use from 2024 to 2025 and men saw a 19% increase, closing the long-time gender gap in Bible Use,” a press release reads. “In recent years, Millennials and men were among the least likely to use the Bible.”
The American Bible Society also found that Scripture engagement — something described as a “deeper” exploration of people’s interactions with the Bible — increased in 2025, with younger people also driving that shift.
Among members of Gen Z, Scripture engagement rose from 11% in 2024 to 15% in 2025. Likewise, Millennials saw a shift during this same time that crew from 12% to 17%, according to the study.
Notably, the survey also explored Americans’ beliefs about how they wish to interact with the Bible, with 51% telling the American Bible Society they would like to read the Christian Scriptures more often.
Dr. John Plake, editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series and the chief innovation officer at the American Bible Society, said the findings are notable.
“For the first time since 2021, we’re seeing an increase in both Bible Use and Scripture engagement, particularly among younger adults and in men,” he said in a statement. “People are curious about the Bible and Jesus.”
Plake continued, noting there’s an opportunity for Christians and the church to meet this interest with the truth: “How will the Church respond? Together we must respond with creativity and innovation. Opportunities like this don’t come along every day, so we need to listen carefully and respond to our neighbors with grace, hope, and truth.”
In a recent interview with CBN News prior to the survey’s release, Plake said he recently “woke up” to the positive changes happening surrounding faith in America when he observed shocking spikes in Bible sales.
“I guess I woke up … when … the press reached out to me about the Wall Street Journal article that was published last October about a spike in Bible sales,” Dr. John Plake, chief program officer at the American Bible Society, recently told CBN News.
Plake said he often takes great strides to compare what’s happening anecdotally in his own church experience with the real numbers and statistics on the ground to ensure he’s rightly understanding real patterns versus what he’s “personally experiencing.”
He said there are numerous positive trends and that this positive trajectory is happening in other nations as well.
“I think from a lot of angles, from Europe, from the United States, from Canada, from data, and from experience, we’re starting to get a sense that there is something going on,” Plake said. Read more here.
Data for the State of the Bible was collected among 2,656 U.S. adults via online interviews conducted from Jan. 2-21, 2025.
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