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Senior Citizen Longevity & Statistics
Senior Citizens Most Likely to Say Bible is
Literally True, Gallup Finds
Least educated most likely to believe Bible is actual
word of God
May 27, 2007 – Senior citizens are more likely than
most other American adults to believe the Bible is the actual word of
God and is to be taken literally word for word, according to a report
from the Gallup News Service released Friday. About one-third of all
adults have this belief but those over age 65 lead the age groups
slightly at 35%.
The majority of those who don't believe that the
Bible is literally true believe that it is the inspired word of God but
that not everything it in should be taken literally. About one in five
Americans believe the Bible is an ancient book of "fables, legends,
history, and moral precepts recorded by man," writes Frank Newport in
his analysis of the Gallup Poll.
"Belief in a literal Bible is strongly correlated
with indicators of religion, including church attendance and
identification with a Protestant or other non-Catholic Christian faith.
There is also a strong relationship between education and belief in a
literal Bible, with such belief becoming much less prevalent among those
who have college educations", says Newport.
 The percentage of Americans that believe in the
literal interpretation has declined slightly since several decades ago.
Gallup has asked about personal views of the Bible
nine times since 1991 and the percentage saying the Bible is the literal
word of God has remained in "a relatively narrow range between 27% and
35% across this time period," with the average being 31%.
"Prior to that point, however, the data suggest
that Americans' belief in a literal Bible was slightly higher. Gallup
asked the question seven times between 1976 and 1984, during which time
an average of 38% said that the Bible is the actual word of God. At two
points during this time period, 40% of Americans agreed with the literal
interpretation view of the Bible," writes Newport.
>>
Read the full report at Gallup, click here.
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