The ANES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior
Attitudes about the Origin of the Bible (2), 3 categories 1990-2016
| '90 | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '08 | '12 | '16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bible Literal Truth | 45 (440) |
39 (897) |
41 (717) |
39 (669) |
36 (458) |
35 (623) |
** | 37 (450) |
37 (858) |
31 (1809) |
31 (1291) |
| God's Word, Not Literal | 41 (405) |
47 (1069) |
45 (788) |
46 (789) |
48 (609) |
49 (882) |
** | 46 (554) |
44 (1011) |
47 (2765) |
46 (1921) |
| Not the Word of God | 12 (115) |
12 (285) |
12 (209) |
13 (219) |
14 (178) |
12 (220) |
** | 15 (182) |
17 (394) |
21 (1251) |
23 (988) |
| Don't Know, Other | 2 (18) |
2 (42) |
3 (50) |
2 (27) |
2 (24) |
3 (60) |
** | 1 (17) |
2 (41) |
1 (35) |
0 (21) |
| N | 978 | 2293 | 1763 | 1703 | 1268 | 1785 | 0 | 1203 | 2304 | 5860 | 4221 |
Percentage Within Study Year
Table 1B.2b.
Question Text:
"Which of these statements comes closest to describing your feelings about the Bible?" (STATEMENTS SHOWN TO R)
1. The Bible is the actual Word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word
2. The Bible is the Word of God but not everything in it should be taken literally, word for word
3. The Bible is a book written by men and is not the Word of God
Note:
2012 and 2016 data are for the combined (face-to-face and internet) sample.
Return to the ANES Guide Index.