The latest chapter of the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible USA 2024 report examined charitable giving among Americans in 2023 and compiled the results based on respondents’ level of Scripture engagement among self-identified Catholics and Protestants.
The frequency and amount of charitable giving was most pronounced among the “Scripture engaged,” defined as those who receive a score of at least 100 on the Scripture Engagement Scale that is compiled based on an individual’s responses to “14 survey items about the frequency of Bible use and the impact and centrality [of] its message” on their lives.
Ninety-four percent of the Scripture engaged reported giving financially to charity in the past year, and their median amount of giving was $2,000. By contrast, among the “movable middle,” defined as those who scored between 70 and 99 on the Scripture Engagement Scale, 75% donated to charity and their median donation was only $288.
Less than half of the “Bible disengaged”, referring to those who scored less than 70 on the Scripture Engagement Scale, gave to charity and their median amount of giving was $0.
Editor-in-chief, John Farquhar Plake said, “At a national level, we could say that Scripture-engaged people form a massive engine of generosity and philanthropy.”