Interpreting scripture among Christians by metro area (2014) Switch to: Metro area among Christians by interpretation of scripture
% of Christians who say the holy scripture is…
| Metro area | Word of God; should be taken literally | Word of God; not everything taken literally | Word of God; other/don't know | Not the word of God | Other/don't know | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Metro Area | 39% | 40% | 3% | 14% | 5% | 400 |
| Baltimore Metro Area | 34% | 33% | 3% | 24% | 6% | 172 |
| Boston Metro Area | 24% | 30% | 5% | 34% | 8% | 280 |
| Chicago Metro Area | 30% | 38% | 3% | 23% | 7% | 621 |
| Dallas/Fort Worth Metro Area | 46% | 33% | 2% | 14% | 5% | 516 |
| Detroit Metro Area | 37% | 31% | 4% | 21% | 6% | 268 |
| Houston Metro Area | 49% | 27% | 1% | 18% | 5% | 366 |
| Los Angeles Metro Area | 34% | 33% | 2% | 22% | 8% | 671 |
| Miami Metro Area | 39% | 29% | 3% | 20% | 9% | 319 |
| Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Area | 21% | 33% | 5% | 32% | 9% | 248 |
| New York City Metro Area | 34% | 29% | 4% | 27% | 7% | 1,065 |
| Philadelphia Metro Area | 27% | 37% | 2% | 26% | 7% | 501 |
| Phoenix Metro Area | 37% | 38% | 2% | 18% | 5% | 278 |
| Pittsburgh Metro Area | 34% | 36% | 2% | 25% | 3% | 199 |
| Providence Metro Area | 23% | 36% | 1% | 36% | 4% | 272 |
| Riverside, CA Metro Area | 43% | 34% | 2% | 13% | 7% | 272 |
| San Diego Metro Area | 36% | 28% | 3% | 26% | 7% | 219 |
| San Francisco Metro Area | 28% | 31% | 4% | 27% | 9% | 212 |
| Seattle Metro Area | 37% | 32% | 1% | 24% | 6% | 185 |
| St. Louis Metro Area | 31% | 38% | 4% | 19% | 8% | 203 |
| Tampa Metro Area | 35% | 29% | 3% | 24% | 9% | 216 |
| Washington, DC Metro Area | 31% | 33% | 4% | 22% | 9% | 574 |
Sample sizes and margins of error vary from subgroup to subgroup, from year to year and from state to state. You can see the sample size for the estimates in this chart on rollover or in the last column of the table. And visit this table to see approximate margins of error for a group of a given size. Readers should always bear in mind the approximate margin of error for the group they are examining when making comparisons with other groups or assessing the significance of trends over time. For full question wording, see the survey questionnaire.
Learn More: Word of God; should be taken literally, Word of God; not everything taken literally, Not the word of God
