A new survey by the Bible Society has found that people are reading their Bible more often than before, with half saying they are reading it daily and a quarter ‘multiple times a day’.
“Over a quarter (27%) of 25- to 34-year-olds and around a third (32%) of 35 to 44-year-olds reported turning to the Bible several times a day,” wrote Christian Today.
Over half (59%) of correspondents said that they now watched more Bible-related videos or had started watching them.
Some 42% said that reading their Bible had given them an increased sense of hope in God during the pandemic, a figure that rose to around half (49%) of 45- to 54-year-olds.
Over a quarter (28%) said it had increased their confidence in the future, while nearly two thirds (63%) said that reading the Bible had enabled their confidence to remain the same instead of dipping.
Carried out by Christian Research, the survey found just under a quarter (23%) crediting the Bible for increasing their mental wellbeing, a figure that rose to nearly half (47%) for the 24- to 34-year-olds.
A third of 16- to 24-year-olds said that reading the Bible had helped them to feel less lonely.
Over a third (35%) of respondents reported reading their Bibles more during the pandemic, with the biggest rise occurring among 25- to 34-year-olds (53%).
“It’s encouraging to see that the Bible is giving people hope and confidence,” said Dr Andrew Ollerton, author of the Bible Society’s online Bible Course.
“The Bible has the ability to stand over our circumstances as something solid, a reference point in uncertain times. It’s like having felt all at sea, and then having a rock to stand on.
“Mental health is so important and the Scriptures are a source of endurance and wellbeing.”
Additional reporting by Christian Today
