Survey: Bible use rises among Americans facing divorce, tragic event

July 15, 2026

The American Bible Society has released a new survey that finds that people who have experienced specific hardships and tragedies are more likely to turn to the Bible and view their faith as a source of comfort than those who haven’t faced those struggles.

The Christian Post reports that the fourth chapter of the “State of the Bible: USA 2026” report was released last week, examining U.S. adults’ views on whether they have a calling and how hardship affects their relationship with Scripture.

The survey was based on 2,649 interviews with U.S. adults conducted Jan. 8-27 in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago.

When asked whether they had “a calling to a particular kind of work,” 15% of respondents called the statement “totally true,” 23% said “mostly true,” 25% said “moderately true,” 18% said “mildly true,” and 20% said they didn’t believe they had a calling at all.

The report tied these responses to the Scripture Engagement Scale, which measures the frequency of Bible use and the centrality of its message in people’s lives.

According to the Christian Post, the report also examined the relationship between Bible engagement and a series of disruptive events that might occur in people’s lives.

Bible use measured higher among those who have experienced divorce, a natural disaster, a life-threatening illness, unemployment, or the death of a family member or close friend, than among those who have not experienced these things.

In each of these personal struggles, respondents reported that their faith proved to be “a great source of comfort.”

Photo: top, Credit: Getty Images/Grace Cary