New Study Shows How Millennials and Gen Z Are Driving a Bible Reading Comeback
BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 6, 2025 — New research from the State of the Church initiative by Barna Group and Gloo reveals a national rebound in Bible reading among U.S. adults. In 2025, weekly Bible reading has climbed to 42%, up 12 points from a 15-year low of 30% in 2024. Among self-identified Christians, the rate is 50%, which is the highest level in over a decade.
Young adults are driving this surge, with nearly half now engaging with Scripture weekly. Millennials jumped an unprecedented 16 points, reaching 50% who now say they read the Bible weekly. Gen Z mirrors this pattern, rising from 30% to 49% in just one year. Boomers, who consistently held the highest levels of Bible reading, now show the lowest levels of weekly Bible reading of all generations at 31%. Gen X has held steadier, now rebounding to 41%. This comes at a time when digital Bible engagement has made it easier for younger generations to engage with Scripture. The YouVersion Family of Bible Apps has reported multiple days of record engagement throughout the year and will celebrate one billion installs this month, a milestone reached years faster than anticipated.
“Bible reading is rising again across generations, marking a reset to faith engagement levels we haven’t seen in a decade,” said David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group. “People aren’t just curious about faith — they’re opening Scripture for themselves. This trend aligns with other signs of renewal we’ve seen in our research, like growing commitments to Jesus and increased church attendance.”
The data also reveals a striking reversal in gender patterns. While women have historically been more likely to read the Bible weekly, 2025 data shows that younger men are now reading the Bible more than younger women. Weekly Bible reading rates are 54% for Gen Z men and 57% for Millennial men, compared to 46% for Gen Z women and 43% for Millennial women.
While more Americans are reading the Bible, findings show that fewer hold strong beliefs about the Bible’s accuracy. In 2000, 43% strongly agreed that the Bible is totally accurate in the principles it teaches. That number fell below 40% in recent years but now sits at 36%. Even among self-identified Christians, only 44% strongly affirm the Bible’s accuracy.
“It’s very encouraging to see more people, especially young adults, turning to the Bible,” said Brad Hill, Chief Partner Success Officer at Gloo. “But this rise in interest also challenges church leaders to go deeper, turning curiosity and engagement into opportunities to help people live what they read. In an age when AI tools are providing answers to life’s big questions, it’s imperative that churches cultivate deep and durable Bible engagement habits.”
The detailed findings of this month’s release are available here. As part of the State of the Church initiative with Barna, Gloo provides every church with free assessment tools to know the health and vitality of their church. Learn more at stateofthechurch.com.
About the Research
Barna Group’s tracking data is based on online and telephone interviews within nationwide random samples of 138,556 adults conducted over a 25-year period ending in October 2025. These studies are conducted utilizing quota sampling for representation of all U.S. adults by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, and income. Minimal statistical weighting has been used when necessary to maximize statistical representativeness. Included in this data are 12,116 online interviews that were collected between January and October of 2025. These interviews were also conducted utilizing quota sampling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, and income, and minimal statistical weighting has been used to maximize statistical representation.
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Gloo is a leading technology platform for the faith and flourishing ecosystem, providing values-aligned AI, resources, insights, and funding so people and communities flourish and organizations thrive. Gloo serves over 140,000 faith, ministry, and nonprofit leaders and is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Barna Group is a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture. Since 1984, Barna has conducted more than two million interviews over the course of thousands of studies and has become a go-to source for insights about religion, leadership, vocation, and generations. Barna is an independent, privately-held, nonpartisan organization based in Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/RyanJLane
Originally published November 07, 2025.
