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Older four-statement Bible question that adds a 'not worth much' option, asked by ANES and in the GSS Version Z split ballot.
AI-matched An AI model grouped these questions and mapped their answers onto shared categories, and a second AI review checked and corrected the grouping and mapping. No person has checked it: compare the question wordings and the answer mapping below before reading the lines against each other.
Latest: 3% answered “Not worth much today” in ANES, 1990.
Shares of people whose answer maps onto these categories (non-answers and answers outside the scale are left out), because surveys differ in whether they offer “don’t know.” Each column is one survey wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
Shares of people whose answer maps onto these categories (non-answers and answers outside the scale are left out), because surveys differ in whether they offer “don’t know.” Each point is one survey wave at the middle of its field period. Lines from different surveys are never spliced together.
Groups differ from everyone by 13 points on average across all answers, in ANES.
Groups differ from everyone by 11 points on average across all answers, in ANES.
Subgroup charts are picked automatically. Of every breakdown in the data (party, ideology, age, sex, race, education, income, region, religion, and community type), these two put their groups furthest from everyone’s answers: the gap is averaged across all answer categories and waves, with each group weighted by its share of respondents. Party and ideology count as one choice, so the second chart shows a different kind of split. Groups with an effective sample under 50 in a wave are left out of that wave, and changes run from each group’s first wave to its last.
| Line | Question | Match | How answers map |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANES | Authority of the Bible Here are four statements about the Bible and I’d like you to tell me which is closest to your own view. (STATEMENTS SHOWN TO R) Caveat: Same four statements; ANES survey mode and context differ from GSS | equivalent | The Bible is God’s word and all it says is true → God's word, all true; The Bible was written by men inspired by God but it contains some human errors. → Inspired by God, some human errors; The Bible is a good book because it was written by wise men, but God had nothing to do with it. → Good book written by men, God not involved; The Bible was written by men who lived so long ago that it is worth very little today. → Not worth much today |
| GSS | Feelings about the Bible, version Z B. Here are four statements about the Bible, and I'd like you to tell me which is closest to your own view. READ FIRST FOUR STATEMENTS ((a)-(d)) ONLY. CIRCLE ONLY ONE CODE.
a. The Bible is God's Word and all it says is true......1
b.The Bible was written by men inspired by God, but it contains some human errors ......2
c. The Bible is a good book because it was written by wise men, but God had nothing to do with it ......3
d. The Bible was written by men who lived so long ago that it is worth very little today......4 Caveat: Reference wording; 'other' response not mappable; GSS split-ballot version | identical | God's word → God's word, all true; Inspired by god → Inspired by God, some human errors; Written by man → Good book written by men, God not involved; Not worth much → Not worth much today |