Most Americans Say the Bible Is God’s Word

About 3 in 4 Americans believe the Bible is either inspired by or is the actual word of God, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.

About 28% of Americans think the Bible should be taken literally—only slightly down from the all-time low reached in 2007. About half of Americans think the Bible is inspired by God, but should not be taken literally.

On the other end of the spectrum, about 20% of Americans say the Bible is nothing more than a “ancient book of fables, legends, history, and moral precepts recorded by man.”

Among Christians, however, 58% of those interviewed said they believe the Bible is the actual word of God, though “multiple interpretations are possible.” Overall, 9 out of 10 Christians say the Bible is connected to God.

Gallup’s data are based on phone interviews of 1,028 randomly selected adults between May 8 and 11.