The latest “State of the Bible USA” report shows that Americans who read the Bible are more likely to have a stronger sense of identity.
The American Bible Society published the sixth chapter of its “State of the Bible USA 2025” report on Thursday, analyzing the relationship between Bible interaction and self-identity among Americans. The research is based on responses from 2,656 adults collected through online interviews conducted between Jan. 2 and Jan. 21.
Respondents were asked to express their agreement with statements such as “I know who I am,” “I always have a good sense about what is important to me,” and “I know what I believe or value.”
The results showed that practicing Christians have the strongest sense of identity, with 64% identified as having a strong sense of self.
Additionally, 52% of respondents who follow a religion other than Christianity also reported a strong sense of identity. In contrast, only 40% of nominal Christians, 33% of casual Christians, and 33% of those without religious affiliation reported a strong sense of identity.
Sixty-three percent of individuals classified as Scripture-engaged (scoring 100 or higher on the Scripture Engagement Scale) reported a strong sense of identity, compared to just 38% among those in the “Movable Middle” and “Bible Disengaged” categories, who scored lower on the scale.
The report defines Bible use as engaging with Scripture outside of church at least three times a year. Among those who read the Bible daily, 69% reported a strong sense of identity.
Over half of those who use the Bible several times a week (51%) and half of those who use it at least four times weekly also had a strong sense of identity.
Conversely, the likelihood of a strong sense of identity decreased among those who use the Bible less frequently—such as once a week (45%), once or twice a year (42%), less than once a year (41%), three or four times a year (38%), never use the Bible (38%) and use the Bible once a month (33%).
The data also revealed generational differences, with Gen Z men having the lowest percentage of people in the Strong Identity group at 30% and the highest percentage in the Weak Identity group (also 30%). Meanwhile, 41% of Gen Z women say they have strong identities, and 23% say they have weak identities.
The study noted that “the sense of identity appears to ‘strengthen with age,’” highlighting that older generations tend to have a more stable sense of self. “Well more than half of the Boomer+ generation, women and men alike, are in the Strong Identity group,” the report stated.
