The Bible is the actual, literal word of God, say four out of every ten Republicans and four out of every ten low-education Americans, according to a new study released by Gallup today. The belief that the Bible is the actual word of God, and not the inspired word of God that should not be taken literally, drops dramatically in people who have any exposure to college, who attend a religious institution less than once a week, or who grow to middle-income or above. In short, the typical portrait of those who believe the Bible is the actual word of God are Republican weekly church-goers who are lower-income, lower-educated Americans.
Specifically, 42% of Republicans, 23% of Independents, and 27% of Democrats believe the Bible is the actual word of God.
46% of those with a high school or less education, 22% of those with some college, and 15% of college graduates believe the Bible is the actual word of God.
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Overall, only 30% of all Americans believe the Bible is “the actual word of God,” 49% of all Americans believe “the Bible is the inspired word of God but that it should not be taken literally,” and 17% of all Americans “consider the Bible an ancient book of stories recorded by man.”
“The high point in the percentage of Americans favoring a literal interpretation of the Bible was 40%, recorded in 1980 and 1984. The low point was 27% in 2001.”
“Gallup has consistently found strong differences in views of the Bible as the “actual word of God” by religiosity and education. The current poll also finds significant income differences, with 50% of lower-income respondents believing the Bible is the actual word of God, compared with 27% of middle-income and 15% of high-income respondents. These income differences are larger than what Gallup has measured in the past, with a higher percentage of low-income Americans believing the Bible is literally true.”
“The percentage of Americans taking a literal view of the Bible has declined over time, from an average of 38% from 1976-1984 to an average of 31% since. However, highly religious Americans — particularly those of Protestant faiths — still commonly believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible.
“In general, the dominant view of Americans is that the Bible is the word of God, be it inspired or actual, as opposed to a collection of stories recorded by man. That is consistent with the findings that the United States is a predominantly Christian nation and that Americans overwhelmingly believe in God.”