Study finds black people read the Bible more than white people

The Pew Research Centre also found they were the group most likely to view the Bible as the word of God.

More than half of black people – both Christian and non-Christian – said they read the Bible or other holy scripture at least once a week outside of church services, compared with 32 per cent of whites and 38 per cent of Hispanics, according to data from the Religious Landscape Study.

Only 24 per cent of black people said they “seldom or never” read the Bible, compared with 50 per cent of whites and 40 per cent of Hispanics.

David Masci, a senior writer at Pew Research Center, explained where the root of black people’s devotion to the Bible may have come from.

“Religion, particularly Christianity, has played an outsize role in African American history. While most Africans brought to the New World to be slaves were not Christians when they arrived, many of them and their descendants embraced Christianity, finding comfort in the Biblical message of spiritual equality and deliverance,” he wrote in an article.

The study also found African Americans participate in prayer and scripture study groups more than both whites and Hispanics.

While 39 per cent of black people asked said they did on a weekly basis, 22 per cent of white people and 27 per cent of Hispanic people said they did.

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