Interpreting scripture among adults who believe in God with absolute certainty by state (2014) Switch to: State among adults who believe in God with absolute certainty by interpretation of scripture

% of adults who believe in God with absolute certainty who say the holy scripture is…

StateWord of God; should be taken literallyWord of God; not everything taken literallyWord of God; other/don't knowNot the word of GodOther/don't knowSample size
Alabama58%27%4%8%3%419
Alaska42%28%4%21%5%167
Arizona40%37%2%13%8%412
Arkansas55%28%3%9%5%234
California38%31%3%19%8%1,965
Colorado37%33%3%19%8%270
Connecticut34%30%3%26%8%192
Delaware31%39%6%17%7%183
District of Columbia44%33%2%15%5%155
Florida43%30%4%16%7%1,285
Georgia50%32%3%10%5%713
Hawaii39%25%2%24%9%181
Idaho39%41%3%12%5%208
Illinois36%37%3%16%7%818
Indiana47%32%5%11%6%425
Iowa34%43%3%13%7%219
Kansas41%40%4%11%4%206
Kentucky52%26%4%12%5%329
Louisiana55%30%3%8%4%342
Maine36%30%5%19%10%154
Maryland39%34%3%18%6%388
Massachusetts28%36%4%22%10%282
Michigan42%36%4%12%6%624
Minnesota36%33%5%17%8%340
Mississippi64%23%5%5%2%254
Missouri41%36%4%13%7%444
Montana29%41%6%15%9%192
Nebraska38%42%3%11%6%213
Nevada35%35%1%20%8%177
New Hampshire33%36%3%20%7%132
New Jersey33%35%5%20%7%500
New Mexico47%28%5%12%8%188
New York35%32%3%21%8%1,060
North Carolina47%28%5%12%9%732
North Dakota38%41%3%14%3%229
Ohio43%34%4%12%6%771
Oklahoma47%31%2%14%7%289
Oregon35%38%4%15%8%218
Pennsylvania43%36%3%12%6%865
Rhode Island29%35%2%31%3%180
South Carolina57%29%2%6%5%376
South Dakota38%37%2%10%14%213
Tennessee54%25%6%9%6%524
Texas48%30%3%13%6%1,774
Utah31%51%4%11%3%202
Vermont28%32%4%28%9%121
Virginia53%26%4%12%5%555
Washington36%39%4%15%6%382
West Virginia59%22%6%7%7%234
Wisconsin44%35%4%13%5%349
Wyoming45%34%5%14%3%219
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