Bible reading.(Opinion Pulse)

President Bush says that he reads the Bible daily. So, too, do about 15 percent of his fellow citizens. At the other end of the spectrum, about a quarter say they never read it. About 90 percent have a Bible at home, a figure unchanged from 1954, when Gallup first posed the question. About a quarter say they have read the Bible all the way through. Thirty percent today say the Bible is the actual word of God, to be taken literally word for word, while 52 percent believe it is the inspired word of God. Fifteen percent call it an ancient book of fables, legends, and history.

 
Question: How often do you ... ? 
 
Read Bible daily or more often 
 
1942    10% 
1998    14% 
 
Source: The Gallup Organization, latest that of 2002. 
The American Bible Society sponsored some of these surveys. 
 
Note: Table made from line graph. 
 
Read the Bible--1998 
 
Daily or more often                 14% 
Two-three times a week/weekly       24 
Two-three times a month             14 
Once a month                         8 
Less than once a month              20 
Never                               27 
 
Note: Question wording varied. 
 
Source: The Gallup Organization, latest that of 2002. 
The American Bible Society sponsored some of these surveys. 
 
Note: Table made from bar graph. 
 
Question: Do you happen to have any of 
these books in your home ... ? 
 
Have a Bible in your home 
 
1954          92% 
2000          93 
 
Note: Question wording varied slightly. 
 
Source: The Gallup ...