Interpreting scripture among adults in the West by sources of guidance on right and wrong (2014) Switch to: Sources of guidance on right and wrong among adults in the West by interpretation of scripture
% of adults in the West who say the holy scripture is…
| Sources of guidance on right and wrong | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Religion | 51% | 33% | 4% | 7% | 5% | 2,518 |
| Philosophy/reason | 8% | 19% | < 1% | 63% | 9% | 1,094 |
| Common sense | 16% | 25% | 1% | 48% | 9% | 3,697 |
| Science | 15% | 14% | 1% | 64% | 5% | 902 |
| Don't know | 19% | 26% | 14% | 22% | 20% | 287 |
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
