The majority – 53 per cent – of Americans believe politicians would be more effective if they read the Bible, according to new research.

Fifty-one percent of Americans also believe politics would be more civil if politicians read the Bible regularly, according to the 2016 State of the Bible survey from the American Bible Society and Barna Group.

"Americans still believe the Bible has the power to improve the most uncertain or tumultuous of life's challenges – even politics – when God's Word is allowed to influence them," said Andrew Hood, director of communications for American Bible Society.

"We see the transforming power of Scripture every day, from broken families being restored to men and women overcoming trauma to teens being released from addiction."

The survey found that 80 per cent of Americans believe the Bible is sacred literature, with 66 per cent believing it contains everything a person needs to know to lead a meaningful life.

The survey also showed that there is an increased desire for the Bible to have influence in society. Almost half (46 per cent) of Americans believe it does not have enough influence, and the percentage that considered the Bible to have too much influence fell to 19 per cent; 13 per cent lower than in 2011.

"From the Ten Commandments to the golden rule, the Bible certainly contains principles for political discourse – even for the non-Christian," said Roxanne Stone, editor in chief of Barna Group.

"And for Americans, who are steeped in both a historical and present Christian cultural influence, the Bible remains an important moral document, not just a religious one. It's no wonder that, when two-thirds of the population sees a book as having everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life, that they would also see that book as a valuable rubric for public civility."