Bible readers are less stressed than other Americans about national and international events
OKLAHOMA CITY, Sep. 28, 2017 – In a recent study of Americans within its Bible App community, YouVersion found that its respondents who read the Bible regularly reported less stress than the respondents of the 2017 “Stress in America” study conducted by the American Psychological Association.
YouVersion’s survey examined stress caused by current events, at both national and international levels, and how reading the Bible changes the effects of stress on people’s daily lives.
The APA survey reports 59 percent of its respondents say terrorism is a very or somewhat significant source of stress. In contrast, 18 percent of Bible App survey respondents say terrorism is the current event that causes them the most stress.
Similarly, the APA survey showed 57 percent of people say the current political climate is a very or somewhat significant source of stress, while 16 percent of YouVersion respondents say the national political climate is the current event that causes them the most stress.
“I’m not surprised by the results of our survey,” said Bobby Gruenewald, founder of YouVersion and Life.Church Innovation Pastor. “The Bible withstands the test of time because it speaks to the real struggles we face every day. For thousands of years, Scripture has helped people find peace despite the circumstances around them.”
In the YouVersion study, 30 percent of respondents say that reading Scripture before a stressful event occurs helps them best deal with stress, and 41 percent say reading Scripture in the moment best helps them find relief. And when they turn to Scripture to deal with stress, 47 percent first look at the Bible App’s Verse of the Day. Others first look up their favorite verses from memory (45 percent), resume reading where they last left off in the Bible (45), or search for a YouVersion Bible Plan (40 percent) to deal with stress.
“Technology has given us the opportunity to provide the Bible on the devices we carry everywhere. People are opening and engaging with it throughout the course of their daily life, no matter where they find themselves. We’re thankful to offer access—anytime, anywhere—to this source of timeless wisdom,” said Gruenewald.
About YouVersion
YouVersion was created in 2007 to help increase access to and engagement with the Bible. Featuring more than 1,500 versions and supporting more than 1,100 languages, the Bible App helps people with busy, on-the-go lifestyles read the Bible at any time and in any place. The Bible App has been installed on more than 280 million devices and in every country of the world. To learn more or to download the Bible App, visit www.bible.com/app.
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