Scotland’s Quiet Revival

Talk of a ‘quiet revival’ has caught the attention of the church and the media since the report of the same name was published just before Easter. By comparing data from 2018 with 2025, The Quiet Revival, published by our sister Bible Society in England and Wales, gives a hugely encouraging picture of growth in Christian faith, particularly among young people. Yet the report was based on research in England and Wales. Is it possible to discern if a similar quiet revival is happening here in Scotland?

Less than a month after the launch of The Quiet Revival, church leaders gathered in Bible House, Edinburgh, for the launch of the Patmos World Attitudes Bible Survey. Conducted with Gallup on behalf of the United Bible Societies, 150 countries were surveyed and analysed to create a landmark study into how people all over the world relate to the Bible. We have now received the Scottish data and by comparing this with earlier surveys, we get a fascinating portrait of the quiet revival that is indeed also happening in Scotland.

Church growth

The Patmos data reveals a stunning picture of church growth among the young. In 2015, the Transforming Scotland report asked Scottish adults, “Has there ever been a period in your life when you attended church regularly”? Just 5% of 18–24-year-olds said they had attended church regularly at some point in their lives either as a teenager or an adult. According to Patmos, 16% of Scottish 18–24-year-olds now attend church at least once a month. That is a staggering three-fold increase in a decade. And what about those who were 18-24-year-olds back in 2015, who are now in their late twenties to early thirties? Patmos tells us that 22% of them also attend church at least monthly. These two age groups are now the two generations most likely to attend church regularly, reversing the picture of an aging and declining church in Scotland.

The Spiritual Generation

What about the spiritual openness that was reported by the Quiet Revival?

Patmos found that just 15% of 18–24-year-olds said religion was an important part of their daily life. Much more encouraging was the response of 24–35-year-olds, at 20%. Ask the same question about spirituality, and the results are slightly higher for 18–24-year-olds (19%) and much greater for 24-35-year-olds (29%).

Transforming Scotland did not ask this question. But what it did do, and what Patmos also asked, was if people were interested in learning more about the Bible. The Transforming Scotland result in 2015 indicated an astonishing 52% of 18-24-year-olds were, a result that was far greater than any other age group. Patmos confirmed interest is strong among 18-24-year-olds today at 61%.

What is more, young people in Scotland are not just saying they are interested in the Bible.
They are picking it up and reading it in staggering numbers.

Back in 2015, Transforming Scotland surprised us all when it found that 16% of 18-24-year-olds said they read the Bible at least once a month (compared to 10% of the general population). This was an early sign of what we are now seeing in Scottish churches: 10 years ago, 1 in 7 18-24-year-olds were reading the Bible at least once a month, despite only 1 in 20 being in church.

That active interest in reading the Bible and finding out what it says for themselves is confirmed by Patmos. An incredible 24% of Scottish 18-24-year-olds today say they read the Bible at least once a month. And those who were 18–24-year-olds ten years ago are now part of the 21% of 27-33-year-olds who read the Bible at least monthly. Against 13% for the general population, these statistics are incredibly encouraging. But look back to those church attendance statistics. If 20% of 18-24-year-olds are in church at least once a month, that means that 5% of 18–24-year-olds in Scotland are not in church but read the Bible at least once a month. If that’s not revival, what is?

Read more about the Patmos World Bible Attitudes research here.