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Bible is seen in this illustration photo. A survey conducted for the Bible Society found that increased reading of the Bible during the pandemic led to a greater feeling of hope in God and confidence in the future. (CNS photo/Joshua Roberts, Reuters)

Bible reading boosts mental well-being among Christians, U.K. survey says

March 3, 2021
By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service
Filed Under: Bible, Feature, News, World News

ROME (CNS) — Reading the Bible has had a positive effect on people’s “mental well-being” during the pandemic, according to a Christian Research survey conducted in the United Kingdom.

The survey also found that respondents were reading the Bible more and turning to Bible-related videos more during the pandemic.

The survey, carried out on behalf of the Bible Society, posed a number of questions to 1,000 people in the United Kingdom who identified themselves as Christians and who had attended church at least once a month before restrictions aimed at curbing the pandemic. The questions were asked in December, and the results were published online by the Bible Society March 1.

Forty-two percent of respondents reported that reading the Bible increased a “sense of hope in God during the crisis, rising to nearly half (49%) among 45- to 54-year-olds,” the report by the Bible Society said.

“Some 28% said that reading the Bible had increased their confidence in the future,” while 63% said they felt their level of confidence remained the same, rather than dropping, it said.

It said 23% of those surveyed said the Bible “had increased their mental well-being, including 47% of 24- to 34-year-olds,” and 33% of 16- to 24-year-olds reported that reading the Bible had helped them “feel less lonely.”

The report said 35% of survey respondents were reading the Bible more during the pandemic with the biggest increase among 25- to 34-year-olds in which “53% were reading the Bible more often.”

“A quarter of those asked, said that they were reading the Bible ‘multiple times a day’ and half said that they were reading the Bible on a daily basis,” the Bible Society said.

It also found that 25% of the 25- to 34-year-olds in the survey said they had begun reading the Bible during the pandemic.

While many continue to turn to print editions of the Bible, 23% reported using “a Bible-reading app, 30% are now listening to the Bible” and 59% of those surveyed said that “they now watched more Bible-related videos or had started watching them.”

Also see

Bible is ‘key to evangelization’ and soul of theology, says Bishop Barron

Matthew, Mark, Luke or John? Who’s your quarterback? Inventive faith-sharing ‘Bible Draft’ comes to parishes

Nearly 1,000 Catholic women find peace in the midst of anxiety

Annual 100-hour nonstop public Bible reading planned in Louisiana diocese

RADIO INTERVIEW: Bible in a Year

Times Square billboard will promote, celebrate ‘Bible in a Year’ podcast

Copyright © 2021 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Carol Glatz

Catholic News Service is a leading agency for religious news. Its mission is to report fully, fairly and freely on the involvement of the church in the world today.

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