Less than a third of parents say they pray with their children often, survey finds

May 18, 2026

New research from the American Bible Society shows less than a third of American parents pray with their children, even though younger parents are more likely than non-parents to identify as Christian.

The Christian Post reports that the American Bible Society released the second installment of its “State of the Bible: USA 2026” report last week with a “Parenting with the Bible” chapter that examines the spiritual practices of American parents.

According to the report, a combined total of 29% of American parents said they pray with their children daily (16%) or often (13%).

Meanwhile, twenty-one percent of parents surveyed said they pray with their children sometimes, while the remaining respondents either pray rarely (15%) or never (35%).

John Farquhar Plake, American Bible Society’s chief innovation officer and editor-in-chief of the “State of the Bible” series, said in a statement, “Most American parents are open to the Bible, but behavior hasn’t kept pace with that openness. They’re curious but not deeply engaged.”

Plake added, “”These same individuals are navigating the pressures of work, family, and the sheer exhaustion of caregiving.”

 According to the Christian Post, Plake urged churches to “intentionally invest” in parents facing a “demanding season of life.”

The report shows that while parents were less likely than non-parents to be “Bible disengaged” (46% to 59%), they were less likely to qualify as “Scripture engaged” (16% to 18%).

Plake said, “With support from their church, these caregivers can establish life-giving rhythms of prayer and Scripture engagement with their children, and in their own personal discipleship. Parents are carrying a heavy load, and all of us in the Church can help them carry it.”

The study is based on a subset of parents within a larger sample of 2,649 U.S. adults surveyed Jan. 8 to 27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

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