With the national biblical worldview incidence at 4% among adults, a new report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University indicates that there is substantial variance in that incidence across the 50 states. The state with the highest proportion of adults who have a biblical worldview is Alabama, with a 12.6% incidence—more than triple the current nation level. At the other end of the scale is Rhode Island, which has less than one-quarter of one percent of its adults who qualify as Integrated Disciples (i.e., adults with a biblical worldview).
While there may be a few surprises in the data regarding the ranking of states , or the actual incidence level some states, the identity of the 10 states with the highest and 10 with the lowest incidence levels probably will not raise many eyebrows.
However, when the incidence level of each state is used to project the total number of Integrated Disciples in each state, based on the most recent Census Bureau population counts per state, some surprises emerge.
Top and Bottom States
The proportion of adults in each state estimated to have a biblical worldview is roughly the same for the top two states, which are Alabama (12.6% of its adult residents are Integrated Disciples) and Mississippi (12.5%). South Carolina was third (9.8%), trailed by Arkansas (9.0%), Montana (8.0%), Virginia (7.1%), and Idaho (7.0%). Rounding out the top 10 states were Oklahoma and Tennessee (each at 6.7%), and North Carolina (6.3%).
Eight of the top 10 biblical worldview states were located in the southern portion of the United States. While mobility and cultural shifts have diminished the prominence of biblical Christianity in the South over the past quarter-century, it remains the area where the biblical worldview is most common. The two states in the top 10 outside of the South are both located in the Mountain region of the country. There were no states in the top 10 from the northeast, the Midwest, or the Pacific states.
The state with the lowest proportion of its adults possessing the biblical worldview was Rhode Island, with less than one-quarter of one percent qualifying as Integrated Disciples. There were five other states that each had an incidence of below 2% of their adults qualifying as Integrated Disciples: Maine, Nebraska, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The rest of the bottom 10 states included New Mexico, New Hampshire, Louisiana, and New York.
Among the clear patterns in the bottom 10 states was the inclusion of seven states located in the northeast. The only states from outside the New England and Middle Atlantic divisions were New Mexico, Louisiana, and Nebraska.
Regional Data
The U.S. Census Bureau divides the 50 states into nine geographic divisions. The two divisions with the highest biblical worldview incidence are in the South. The East South Central division leads the way, with its residents sporting an incidence of 8.8%. (That division contains Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee.) It is followed by the South Atlantic states, at 6.4%. (The eight states in that division are Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.)
The division with the lowest biblical worldview incidence was New England. That area is comprised of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Less than 2% of the people in that division have a biblical worldview. That is, by far, the lowest of any division, registering barely half the proportion of biblical theists as are found in the next lowest division.
The second lowest division is the neighbor of New England, a cluster of states known as the Middle Atlantic. There are just three states in that group: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Only 3.4% of the adults in that area are Integrated Disciples.
Most of the other divisions were close to the national average for biblical worldview, ranging from 4.1% to 5%. In fact, the only two of the nine divisions featured incidence levels that are more than one-tenth of a percentage point above the national average. The other seven divisions are either average or below average.
The Census Bureau has also defined four geographic regions, each of which is comprised of a non-duplicated combination of the nine divisions. Not surprisingly, the Northeast region – which covers the states from Maine down to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, representing the New England and Middle Atlantic divisions – was easily the lowest in biblical worldview (3.0%). The South was clearly the highest (6.3%), while the Central (4.3%) and West (4.7%) regions took up the middle ground.
Biggest Numbers of Integrated Disciples
Using the biblical worldview incidence data from the Cultural Research Center in conjunction with Census Bureau population estimates, it is possible to project the number of Integrated Disciples in each state.
By virtue of its massive population, California emerged as the state with the largest number of adults with the biblical worldview, despite its left-leaning politics and relatively average biblical worldview statistic (4.6%, barely below the national average). The projections indicate there are nearly one-and-a-half million such people in the Golden State.
Right behind California is Florida (slightly more than 1.1 million Integrated Disciples) and then Texas (slightly less than 1.1 million). Again, the large populations of those states greatly facilitated their high ranking in the number of Integrated Disciples in residence. The other states in the top 10 each has at least a half-million Integrated Disciples fewer than third-place Texas.
Comparing their rank in total adult population to their rank in the number of Integrated Disciples, four states produced relatively greater number of adults with a biblical worldview than average. Those were North Carolina (ranked eighth in population but fourth in Integrated Disciples); Georgia (ninth in population but fifth in Integrated Disciples); Alabama (24th in population but an astonishing seventh in Integrated Disciples); and Virginia (12th in population but ninth in Integrated Disciples).
Estimates of the Total Resident Population and Resident Population Age 18 Years and Older for the United States, Regions, States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: July 1, 2024 (SCPRC-EST2024-18+POP), accessed at https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-national-detail.html.
A Few Surprises
The survey provided a few surprises worth highlighting:
- While it might be expected that states in the South—the traditional “Bible belt” of the nation—would produce the highest incidence of biblical worldview, it might be less expected to see the western states outperform the midwestern states. Although the difference is not substantial—the West has a 4.7% incidence compared to 4.3% in the Central region—the outcome is unanticipated. Of the two, the Midwest is considered the more conservative and traditional area, especially when compared to the “Wild West” and its more progressive policies, outlooks, and lifestyles. These numbers, however, suggest that the relationship between values, morals, and population has shifted substantially in the past three decades.
- Texas is typically not only thought of as politically conservative, but also as highly Christian and deeply spiritual. Yet, the worldview data suggest a different profile. The statewide biblical worldview incidence was slightly below the national average. Further, Texas ranked 30th in its proportion of Integrated Disciples out of the 45 states evaluated—much farther down the rankings than many would have expected for a large southern state. The disparity between expectations and reality may partly be explained by the huge numbers of people migrating in and out of Texas during the past decade, which were accelerated by the COVID years. Since 2000, Texas has had more than 9 million people move into the state, as well as millions who left the state. For instance, in 2023, about a half-million people moved in while about 400,000 moved out. In 2024 it is estimated that more than 600,000 moved in while another 400,00 departed. This extreme population fluidity has undoubtedly played a role in the reshaping of the spiritual profile of the state.
- If it is surprising that Texas has a below-average proportion of adults with a biblical worldview, it might also be unexpected to identify a few of the states that have an above-average proportion of Integrated Disciples. Those states include Colorado (6.1%), Hawaii (5.3%), and Washington (5.2%). Both the Colorado state legislature and the state’s Congressional delegation are mostly Democrats (66% and 60%, respectively). More than 80% of Hawaii’s state legislature and its entire Congressional delegation are Democrats. In Washington, 60% of the state legislature and more than 80% of its Congressional delegation are Democrats. The strong correlation between political ideology and worldview would have predicted below-average proportions of Integrated Disciples in those states. On the other hand, with 60% of the Texas state legislature and 70% of its Congressional delegation being Republicans, an above-average biblical worldview incidence would have been projected.
- Although its first-place standing in number of Integrated Disciples can be explained away as a consequence of its large population, the fact that California not only leads that list but has nearly 300,000 more Integrated Disciples than the next most prolific state is nevertheless shocking. Despite the state’s liberal political policies and practices (including being another state with a large majority of both its state legislators and Congressional delegation as Democrats), its Christianity-hostile media, and the barriers to conservative Christianity imposed throughout the state, these statistics are a reminder that things are not hopeless in California.
Texas as a Bellwether?
George Barna, who directed the research for the Cultural Research Center, provided some context for understanding the state rankings.
“People in Alabama or Mississippi might look at their biblical worldview numbers and feel they can relax, they’re faring better than all the other states,” he said. “But keep in mind, even though those two states have a higher incidence of Integrated Disciples than elsewhere, seven out of eight adults in their states lack a biblical worldview. Yes, comparatively speaking, states like those two are doing better than others, but in absolute terms, every state in the union is failing miserably at developing the biblical worldview among its residents.”
Barna commented that he was particularly struck by the worldview situation in Texas.
“Texas has experienced an unusually high level of in-migration during the past decade. The fastest-growing areas of the state are those attracting a flood of non-Christians and liberals, such as Austin and Houston” the researcher noted. “Perhaps Texas is a harbinger of things to come in terms of worldview, with the ever-diminishing impact of biblical beliefs due to the influx of young adults who dismiss Christianity as irrelevant and untruthful. Texas’s long-standing tradition of biblical Christianity has been severely compromised in a short span of time, due in no small part to household mobility and to a growing proportion of young people. The implications of that transformation are instructive and may become particularly significant for other states in the South and Midwest that are also vulnerable to such influences.”
About the American Worldview Inventory
The data in this report are part of the annual national tracking survey, the American Worldview Inventory (AWVI), which examines a wide variety of aspects of the worldview of U.S. adults. The current report utilizes data drawn from includes six AWVI surveys conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University between January 2020 and May 2025, plus three additional surveys CRC conducted within that time period, as well. The aggregate number of interviews completed across those nine surveys was 17,800. The data were collected via online surveys. The sample of each survey included randomly selected members of a national research panel managed by Braun Research and Fulcrum as part of the Lucid national panel of survey respondents. A probability sample of this size would have an estimated maximum sampling error of approximately plus or minus 0.7 percentage points, based on the 95% confidence interval. Additional levels of indeterminable error may occur in surveys based upon both sampling and non-sampling activity.
The American Worldview Inventory is the first-ever national survey conducted in the United States measuring the incidence of both biblical and competing worldviews. Each year’s reports, released to the public at no cost via CRC’s website (www.CulturalResearchCenter.com), are also available in book form and published by Arizona Christian University Press. Those books are available at CRC’s Publications page or from Amazon.
About the ACU Worldview Assessment
The ACU Worldview Assessment is a quick, powerful online tool designed to measure and strengthen a respondent’s biblical worldview. Developed by Dr. George Barna and based on 40+ years of research, this 15-minute assessment reveals how one’s beliefs and behaviors align with biblical principles and areas for growth. The ACU Worldview Assessment identifies a person’s dominant worldview; measures worldview in five categories of beliefs and behaviors; and evaluates the respondent’s score related to the “Seven Cornerstones” of the biblical worldview. Visit www.ACUWorldview.com to learn more about, or to engage with the ACU Worldview Assessment. Further information is also accessible in the report, “Arizona Christian University Unveils Groundbreaking Worldview Assessment from Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center.”
About the Cultural Research Center
The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Arizona, conducts the annual American Worldview Inventory as well as other nationwide surveys regarding worldview and cultural transformation. National studies completed by the Cultural Research Center (CRC) have investigated topics related to family, values, lifestyle, spiritual practices, and recent election-related activity and political views.
One of the groundbreaking efforts by CRC has been the worldview-related surveys conducted among the ACU student population. The first-of-its-kind ACU Student Worldview Inventory is administered to every ACU student at the start of each academic year, and a final time just prior to graduation. The results of that student census enable the University to track and address the worldview development of its students through this unique, longitudinal research.
Research studies conducted by CRC are led by Dr. George Barna. Barna is a veteran of more than 40 years of national public opinion research, having previously guided the Barna Group (which he sold in 2009), and the American Culture and Faith Institute. His research findings have been the subject of more than 60 books he has authored or co-authored, many of which have become national bestsellers. His most recent bestseller is Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul (Arizona Christian University Press, 2023).
Like ACU, CRC embraces biblical Christianity. The Center works in cooperation with a variety of Bible-centric, theologically conservative Christian ministries and remains politically non-partisan. Further information about Arizona Christian University is available at www.ArizonaChristian.edu.