Fewer than one in three Protestants who attend church at least once a month say they read the Bible every day, according to new findings from Lifeway Research.
The report, released Tuesday, draws from Lifeway’s State of Discipleship study, which surveyed 2,130 Protestant churchgoers online between March 19 and March 26, 2025.
Researchers found that 31% of respondents read Scripture daily, while another 30% reported reading it a few times per week. Fourteen percent said they read the Bible once weekly, and 11% said they engage with it a few times a month. Five percent indicated they read it only once a month, and 9% acknowledged they “rarely or never” read it.
Despite the relatively modest daily reading rate, Lifeway noted that Bible engagement has increased compared to earlier years. In 2007, just 16% of respondents said they read the Bible every day, rising to 19% in 2012.
Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, said the proportion of daily readers has remained stable in recent years.
“The portion of churchgoers reading the Bible a few times a week or more on their own has leveled off recently after rising dramatically since 2007, but the churchgoer population was also changing during this period,” stated McConnell.
“A lower percentage of Americans attend a Protestant church once a month today than when this series of studies began. Clearly, the remnant of Americans attending church each month are more willing to regularly read the Bible on their own than when churches were more populated.”
The study also examined how respondents view Scripture’s influence in their lives. Seventy-four percent agreed that “the Bible has authority over every area of their lives,” while 15% said they were unsure and 11% disagreed.
Additionally, 72% said they find themselves “thinking about biblical truths throughout the day,” compared to 19% who were uncertain and 10% who disagreed.
A previous Lifeway survey conducted in 2019 reported similar trends, with 32% of regular churchgoers saying they read the Bible daily, 27% reading it a few times a week and 12% indicating they rarely or never engage with Scripture.
