A new survey conducted in the U.K. revealed how reading the Bible has had a positive effect on people's mental health during the pandemic
A new survey co-sponsored by the Bible Society in the United Kingdom found that up to 42% of those who were surveyed agreed, reading the Bible improved their mental well-being.
According to UCA News, the Christian Research survey not only found that reading the Bible had a positive effect on people's mental health, it also uncovered how respondents were turning to the Bible and watching videos on biblical topics during the pandemic.
The Bible Society and Christian Research survey asked several questions to a total of 1,000 respondents across the United Kingdom who identified as Christians and admitted to attending church at least once a month before the lockdown period was implemented in response to the pandemic. The survey was conducted in December and its results were published on March 1 by the Bible Society.
The survey that looked into the effects of reading the Bible found that 42% of respondents reported an increased "sense of hope in God during the crisis." The survey also found that among respondents aged 45 to 54, there was a sharp increase of nearly half or 49% of those who believed reading the Bible improved their mental well-being and increased their sense of hope.
The Bible Society sponsored survey also found that 28% of respondents admitted that reading the Bible had "increased their confidence in the future," while 63% maintained that their confidence level had stayed the same instead of dropping. The survey found that 23% of those who were questioned that reading the Bible "increased their mental well-being." There were also 47% of respondents aged 24 to 34 that believed reading the Bible had benefited their mental well-being.
In addition, as per the survey results, 35% of the respondents were reading the Bible more through the course of the pandemic, marking the biggest increase in the 25 to 34 age bracket, 53% of which were reading the Bible more often. About 25% of those who were asked reported to be reading the Bible "multiple times a day," while 50% were reading the Bible "on a daily basis."
One-fourth of the respondents in the 25 to 34 age bracket admitted that they started reading the Bible during the pandemic. In terms of the format of the biblical material they were reading, 23% of respondents said they used a "Bible-reading app," while 30% used a "listening" method, and 59% admitted they now watched more Bible-related videos or had started watching them."
Interestingly, this survey seems like a stark contrast to the results of the "State of the Bible 2020" report from American Bible Society and Barna Group, which Influence Magazine reported on in July last year.
According to the survey, about 38% of Americans believed that the pandemic had "negatively affected their ability to worship and serve God." This is most likely due to the quarantine and lockdown restrictions across the country.
However, the survey also revealed how 47% of respondents agreed and 38% of respondents somewhat agreed that the pandemic had in fact strengthened their faith. The survey's findings are in line with the results of a previous poll, which indicated that the pandemic actually helped Americans grow in their faith.
Furthermore, a large number of Zoomers, or those belonging to the younger demographic known as Gen Z, said their faith was "very important" to them as they faced the COVID-19 pandemic.
