Poll: Fewer in U.S. now see Bible as literal word of God

A record-low 20% of Americans now say the Bible is the literal word of God, down from 24% the last time the question was asked in 2017, and half of what it was at its high points in 1980 and 1984. Meanwhile, a new high of 29% say the Bible is a collection of “fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.” This marks the first time significantly more Americans have viewed the Bible as not divinely inspired than as the literal word of God. The largest percentage, 49%, choose the middle alternative, roughly in line with where it has been in previous years…

Gallup’s biblical literacy question is asked of the entire U.S. adult population. This includes people who identify with religions outside of the Christian tradition — about 9% of adult Americans in Gallup’s latest estimates. Plus, the sample includes those who do not have any specific religious identity at all, almost all of whom do not believe that the Bible is literally true.

The accompanying table displays the views of Americans who identify as Christians and those who do not. The differences are in the expected direction, although the underlying pattern of responses remains similar to that of the general population. The majority of Christians (58%) say the Bible is the inspired word of God but not everything in it is to be taken literally, while 25% say it should be interpreted literally and 16% say it is an ancient book of fables.