Importance of religion in one's life among adults in the Silent generation by interpretation of scripture (2014) Switch to: Interpreting scripture among adults in the Silent generation by importance of religion

% of adults in the Silent generation who say religion is…

Interpreting scriptureVery importantSomewhat importantNot too importantNot at all importantDon't knowSample size
Word of God; should be taken literally91%8%1%1%< 1%1,993
Word of God; not everything taken literally71%24%4%1%1%1,628
Word of God; other/don't know83%13%1%1%2%239
Not the word of God24%28%20%27%2%1,608
Other/don't know58%27%7%6%2%521
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: Very important, Somewhat important, Not too important, Not at all important