A record-low 20% of Americans now say the Bible is the literal word of God, down from 24% the last time the question was asked in 2017, and half of what it was at its high points in 1980 and 1984.
Meanwhile, a new high of 29% say the Bible is a collection of "fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man."
This marks the first time significantly more Americans have viewed the Bible as not divinely inspired than as the literal word of God.
The shift in attitudes about the Bible is not an isolated phenomenon. It comes even as a number of indicators show a decline in overall religiosity in the U.S. adult population.
These measures include declines in formal identification with a religion, self-reported membership in a church, self-reported religious service attendance, personal importance of religion, and a decline in belief in God.
