American Bible Society today released the eighth chapter of their 14th annual State of the Bible report, highlighting findings on loneliness in America and examining how forgiveness, Scripture engagement, and additional factors like military service and church involvement can impact loneliness. The eighth chapter of State of the Bible 2024 is now available to download at StateoftheBible.org.

“Nearly three in four Americans report moderate to high levels of loneliness. Among these, well over one third of Gen Z women ages 18–27 experience high levels,” said John Farquhar Plake, PhD, American Bible Society’s Chief Innovation Officer and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series. “Some experts blame social media for fostering shallow connections that replace deep friendships. Our own research indicates that an inability to forgive could greatly increase levels of loneliness. Regardless of the cause, the need is urgent. Churches should respond with care and creativity, offering a safe space to develop meaningful Christian relationships.”

The State of the Bible findings come from a nationally representative survey performed for American Bible Society by NORC at the University of Chicago, using their AmeriSpeak panel. The data came from 2,506 online interviews with American adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Key findings analyzed in Chapter 8: Loneliness

  • The inability to sincerely forgive is correlated with high levels of loneliness. Thirty-three percent of respondents disagree that they can sincerely forgive others (8% of which disagree strongly). This same group reports the highest level of loneliness, while people who strongly affirm their ability to forgive make up the largest group reporting low levels of loneliness (pages 161 and 166).
  • Gen Z females (37%) are twice as likely as Gen Z males (18%) to report feeling a high degree of loneliness, indicating that well over one third of Gen Z women struggle with feeling alone (page 158).
  • Scripture Engaged individuals are 50% less likely than those who are Bible Disengaged to report high levels of loneliness, suggesting the power of Bible reading in easing feelings of loneliness (page 161).
  • One third (33%) of Americans who attend church weekly report low levels of loneliness. Those levels increase when church attendance is less than monthly. Church attendance, rather than claiming to be a Christian, appears to be a key factor in reducing loneliness (page 164).
  • People in military households report less loneliness than everyone else, though military family members feel greater stress than the service members themselves. Additionally, military families are slightly less Scripture engaged (17%) than the non-military public (18%) (pages 173–174).

In December, American Bible Society will release one final chapter in the State of the Bible 2024 story detailing research around philanthropy and highlights from this year’s report.

To download the eighth chapter of State of the Bible 2024, visit StateoftheBible.org.

*For descriptions on how Scripture engagement was measured and reported, please see page 177 of the eBook available for download at StateoftheBible.org.