Research on Bible Use in the Netherlands and Flanders
A hopeful and challenging story
When, how, and why is the Bible opened, and what impact does that have on its readers? For several decades, the Dutch-Flemish Bible Society has been conducting periodic research in the Netherlands into these and other questions surrounding the Bible. In 2022, this research was conducted again, and for the first time in Flanders as well. The results are encouraging on the one hand, but present a challenge as well. A challenge that the NBG is eager to take on, together with everyone in the Netherlands and Flanders who wishes to spread and share the hopeful message of the Bible.
Bible usage has remained the same since 2017
The Netherlands
Almost a third of adult Dutch people consider the Bible a relevant book, slightly more than in 2017. More than one in five Dutch people also read it. It is striking that almost half of Christians rarely or never open the Bible.
One in five Flemings reads the Bible
Flanders
Almost 40% of adult Flemings consider the Bible a relevant book, and one in five also reads it. 60% of the Flemish population calls themselves Christian.
The Netherlands and Flanders compared
The Dutch-Flemish Bible Society operates in two countries, each with its own relationship to the Bible. However, in both countries, the positive impact of the Bible is clear: readers experience the Bible as hopeful and stimulating, encouraging them to dedicate themselves to their neighbor or the world around them, and they are surprised by it and find answers to their questions.
Blog
Does this sound familiar? You are having a conversation with a colleague at the coffee machine, a parent in the schoolyard, or a friend after sports. You mention that you read the Bible, and someone asks: "Why do you actually do that?" Or perhaps you would actually like to read the Bible more often than you currently do, but you find it difficult to find a reason to do so. We give you 7 reasons to read the Bible in this blog!
