Major new research into worldwide attitudes to the Bible, described as “unprecedented” in its scope and detail by those behind it, is set to be released later this month.
Over a period of three years, 90,000 people in 85 countries were questioned, in depth, about their views on the Bible and faith as part of the research conducted by Gallup on behalf of the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) and United Bible Societies (UBS).
Called, “The Patmos Initiative”, the research will reveal the “most comprehensive and rigorous picture of attitudes to Christianity, the Bible and religion in a generation”.
While the results of the extensive survey are not yet public, BFBS has offered a sneak peak into some of the insights gained through the project.
The research apparently will point to “significant interest” in the Bible among non-Christian societies and will give “unprecedented insights” into the similarities and differences between generations in their attitudes to religion.
Other insights are said to include a clear idea of how Christianity is practised in different ways around the world and “surprising patterns of Bible engagement across secular and religious societies”.
Richard Powney, project lead on The Patmos Initiative at BFBS, said, "This study provides the first truly global picture of how people view and interact with the Christian Bible, arguably the most stable marker for understanding global Christianity, and paints a fascinating picture of attitudes to God and faith more generally."
As part of the research, most interviews were conducted face-to-face. The 90,000 people interviewed were spread more or less equally between all of the countries surveyed, with approximately 1,000 people being interviewed from each nation.
Powney added, “Getting a better understanding of global attitudes to the Bible, Christianity and faith is going to be of immense value to the Church, as well as the global understanding of religion in society. All of us benefit from robust, trustworthy data about religion.”
