Publications

INTERVIEW December 3, 2009

Sikh-Americans and Religious Liberty

With their distinctive appearance and religious practices, Sikh-Americans often find themselves at the center of workplace discrimination cases and other controversies involving their religious rights. To better understand religious liberty and accommodation issues involving Sikh-Americans, the Pew Forum turns to church-state scholar Robert W. Tuttle.

ANALYSIS December 1, 2009

GOP Seen as Friendlier To Religion Than Democrats

The number of Americans describing the Democratic Party as friendly toward religion returned to levels similar to those seen in 2005 through 2007, according to a recent survey report. The Obama administration, however, is seen as friendly toward religion by more people (37%) than the Democratic Party as a whole (29%).

ANALYSIS November 19, 2009

Abortion Plays Small Role in Health Reform Opposition

While most Americans oppose government funding of abortion, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that concern about abortion funding plays only a small role in driving opposition to the health care reform legislation under consideration by Congress.

ANALYSIS November 18, 2009

Modest Rise in Concern About Islamic Extremism

The public continues to express concern about the rise of Islamic extremism in the United States and abroad, but a survey taken shortly after the deadly Nov. 5 shootings at the Fort Hood Army base shows only a modest increase in these concerns since 2007.

ANALYSIS November 16, 2009

Faith-Based Programs Still Popular, Less Visible

More than eight years after former President George W. Bush unveiled his faith-based initiative to make it easier for religious groups to receive government funding to provide social services, such as feeding the needy, the policy continues to draw broad public support.

EVENT TRANSCRIPT November 13, 2009

The Future of Evangelicals: A Conversation with Pastor Rick Warren

The evangelical Christian movement historically has been defined by its members' distinctive doctrinal standards and practices. Yet in recent years many Americans have come to understand evangelicals more by their political, rather than religious, identity.

ANALYSIS November 5, 2009

An Overview of Religion and Science in the United States

Surveys repeatedly show that most Americans respect science and the benefits it brings to society, such as new technologies and medical treatments. Nevertheless, strong religious convictions can affect some Americans' willingness to accept certain scientific theories and discoveries.

ANALYSIS October 28, 2009

The "Zeal of the Convert": Is It the Real Deal?

A recent Pew Forum analysis finds that people who have switched faiths (or joined a faith after being raised unaffiliated with a religion) are indeed slightly more religious than those who have remained in their childhood faith.

POLL October 9, 2009

Majority Continues To Support Civil Unions

A clear majority of Americans (57%) favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil unions. This finding marks a slight uptick in support for civil unions and appears to continue a significant long-term trend.

ANALYSIS October 8, 2009

Religious Groups Weigh In on Health Care Reform

As the political battles over health care reform intensify, religious organizations are forcefully adding their voices to the debate.

ANALYSIS October 7, 2009

Mapping the Global Muslim Population

A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 1.57 billion Muslims of all ages living in the world today, representing 23% of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion.

POLL October 1, 2009

Support for Abortion Slips

Polls conducted in 2009 have found fewer Americans expressing support for abortion than in previous years. Polls conducted in 2009 have found fewer Americans expressing support for abortion than in previous years. In Pew Research Center polls in 2007 and 2008, supporters of legal abortion clearly outnumbered opponents; now Americans are evenly divided on the question.

ANALYSIS September 24, 2009

In Brief: Salazar v. Buono

On Oct. 7, 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Salazar v. Buono, a case involving a constitutional challenge to the presence of an eight-foot-tall Christian cross in the Mojave National Preserve in California. The Pew Forum provides a brief overview of the case's long path to the Supreme Court.

ANALYSIS September 9, 2009

Muslims Widely Seen As Facing Discrimination

Eight years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Americans see Muslims as facing more discrimination inside the U.S. than other major religious groups. Nearly six-in-ten adults (58%) say that Muslims are subject to a lot of discrimination, far more than say the same about Jews, evangelical Christians, atheists or Mormons.

INTERVIEW August 31, 2009

Faith Healing and the Law

To explore the legal issues that courts must consider in cases involving parents' use of faith healing, the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life turns to church-state scholar Robert W. Tuttle.

ANALYSIS August 18, 2009

President Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

This report provides a closer look at President Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, established to make recommendations on how to improve government partnerships with faith-based and community organizations.

ANALYSIS August 12, 2009

Media Coverage of the Faith-Based Initiative in the First Six Months of 2001 and 2009

A new study finds that Obama's faith-based initiative has so far generated little of the contentious press coverage associated with Bush's effort. And the program is not as closely associated with the current president as it was with the man he succeeded.

POLL July 24, 2009

A Portrait of Mormons in the U.S.

This report, based on data from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, explores Mormons' unique place in the American religious landscape and is divided into three parts: demographic characteristics, religious beliefs and practices, and social and political views.

ANALYSIS July 9, 2009

A Contentious Debate: Same-Sex Marriage in the U.S.

In the last five years, the debate over gay marriage has been heard in the halls of the U.S. Congress, at the White House, in dozens of state legislatures and courtrooms, and in the rhetoric of election campaigns at both the national and state levels.

LEGAL REPORT July 9, 2009

The Constitutional Dimensions of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate

While the gay marriage controversy has many elements, including disagreements over religious and social norms, much of the debate is a legal one.

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