Fewer than half of Americans now believe that the birth of Jesus was a miracle resulting from Mary’s supernatural conception by the Holy Spirit, according to new research from the American Bible Society (ABS). The finding comes from the seventh chapter of ABS’s 16th annual State of the Bible report, released Thursday, which examines Americans’ experiences with the supernatural, including beliefs in God, Heaven, Hell, Satan, angels, and demons. The data reflect responses from 2,649 Americans collected between Jan. 8 and Jan. 27. Overall, ABS reports that about 171 million Americans, roughly 62% of U.S. adults, believe in the supernatural.
Although 53% of Americans still believe in the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection, only 49% say the virgin birth is at least probably true. This is the first time a major national survey has recorded belief in the virgin birth falling below 50%. For comparison, a 2017 Pew Research Center survey found that 66% of Americans believed Jesus was born to a virgin, down from 73% in 2014. However, the Pew survey was based on 1,503 phone interviews and used different question wording, so the results are not directly comparable. ABS also found that just 44% of Americans believe in the biblical account of the parting of the Red Sea.
Belief in these miracles remains overwhelmingly strong among practicing Christians. According to the report, 97% of practicing Christians believe in the virgin birth, 99% believe in Jesus’ resurrection, and 92% believe God miraculously parted the Red Sea for the Israelites. Across the broader population, a majority of Americans report believing in God, with only about one in eight saying they do not. Just over half also say they believe Satan, Hell, and demons exist.
Many practicing Christians also described personal spiritual experiences. Among them, 58% reported experiencing a spiritual attack, 69% said they had experienced divine healing, and 90% said they had experienced an answered prayer. John Farquhar Plake, ABS’s chief innovation officer and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series, said in a press statement that most Americans sense that life is more than a material existence. He noted that people are seeking answers in diverse ways, whether through mainstream religious practices or by diverging from them. He added that the Bible helps explain how the natural and supernatural worlds are connected, and that ABS aims to help Americans open the Bible and encounter God.
Researchers also asked respondents who had experienced a spiritual attack which practices they found most helpful in countering it. Prayer was the most common answer, selected by 74%, followed by declaring the authority of Jesus Christ (36%) and listening to praise and worship music (24%). The least-selected option, meditating on or quoting Scripture, was chosen by only 15%. ABS used its analysis to encourage greater reliance on that practice, noting that Jesus responded to each of the devil’s three challenges during his temptation by citing Scripture (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).
