Study Released Explaining Bible Use Within American Teenagers

Even though half of all mobile phone users in the U.S. have a smartphone, a new promising study shows that teens aren’t always consumed by their phones.

A recent study by the Barna Group conducted research commissioned by the American Bible Society to uncover the role the bible plays in the lives of American teenagers. Their 2016 State of the Bible study showed that while teenagers still have a reverence for the Bible, their influences vary.

Researchers collected data from 1,000 participants ages 13 to 17 and found that a solid majority of American teens — 69% — own a Bible and read it frequently. Of that percentage, 44% read the Bible a few times a year, 25% read it at least once a week, and 3% report daily reading.

On average, the report found that teens spend at least 15 minutes reading every time they sit down with the holy book.

Overall, the study found that the reasoning for many teens’ Bible reading was to get closer to God, representing 54%. As reported on One News Now the study stated that “Other reasons include obligation or knowing you are supposed to (12 percent), the need for comfort (8 percent), having a problem or needing direction (6 percent), and reading for school (10 percent). One in 10 (11 percent) say they read for some other reason.”

Additionally, the Barna study determined that even though technology is on the rise, most teens choose to go the old fashioned route and read the Scripture from a physical book instead of an e-reader.

The Bible as a whole is still the most utilized religious or spiritual resource for guidance, as 35% of teens reported that they believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life.

However, this represents a significant drop of six percentage points since 2015.