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Explore Pew Forum analyses—including public opinion poll reports, demographic reports, research studies, legal reports and graphics—on an array of topics and issues at the intersection of religion and public life.

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ANALYSIS September 4, 2008
Survey Finds Alaskans Less Religious Than Other Americans
GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is a self-described  "Bible-believing Christian," but statistics show that compared with the nation as a whole, Alaska is home to a higher-than-average number of people who are unaffiliated with any particular religion.
ANALYSIS August 28, 2008
On Ceremonial Occasions, May the Government Invoke a Deity?
Opponents of these religious invocations say such proclamations promote religion and thus violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, which prohibits all laws "respecting an establishment of religion."
ANALYSIS August 21, 2008
More Americans Question Religion's Role in Politics
A new survey finds a narrow majority of the public saying that churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters and not express their views on day-to-day social and political matters.
ANALYSIS August 20, 2008
The Demographics of Faith
A Pew Forum report written for the U.S. State Department describes the diversity of religious practice in the United States.
ANALYSIS July 17, 2008
McCain's Lead Among Evangelicals Smaller than Bush's in '04
Republican presidential candidate John McCain has a smaller lead among white evangelical Protestants than Republican George W. Bush had at a similar point in the 2004 campaign.
ANALYSIS July 17, 2008
Stem Cell Research at the Crossroads of Religion and Politics
Embryonic stem cell research, which uses special cells found in three- to five-day-old human embryos to seek cures for a host of chronic diseases, has sparked a major moral and political debate in the United States.
ANALYSIS July 17, 2008
The Science Behind Stem Cell Research
For decades, stem cells have attracted the attention of medical researchers and others because they have the capacity to develop into specialized cells that make up a variety of organ and other tissues.
ANALYSIS July 17, 2008
Declining Majority of Americans Favor Embryonic Stem Cell Research
While a majority of the American public still favors embryonic stem cell research, surveys by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press show that the size of this majority has declined somewhat in recent years.
ANALYSIS July 17, 2008
Stem Cell Research Around the World
The United States is only one of many countries playing an important role in stem cell research. In the last decade, several European and Asian countries have become leading centers for the study of stem cells and their possible therapeutic uses.
ANALYSIS July 17, 2008
Religious Groups' Official Positions on Stem Cell Research
Where 17 religious groups stand on the issue of stem cell research.
ANALYSIS July 17, 2008
Quotes on Stem Cell Research
Quotes on stem cell research from political, religious and other prominent figures.
ANALYSIS July 10, 2008
Running on Faith
Study finds media coverage of religion in primary campaign rivaled that of race and gender combined.
ANALYSIS June 19, 2008
Global Anglicanism at a Crossroads
When leaders of the worldwide Anglican Communion gather in Canterbury, England, in mid-July for their decennial Lambeth Conference, they will deliberate over the future of a church that is experiencing deep, and perhaps irreconcilable, internal conflicts.
ANALYSIS June 12, 2008
In Brief: Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation
In Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation (2007), the U.S. Supreme Court limited the power of federal courts to enforce the Establishment Clause's restrictions on government funding of religion.
ANALYSIS May 6, 2008
During U.S. Papal Visit, Media Focused on the Shepherd and His Flock
More than One-Third of Coverage Focused on Sex Abuse Scandal; Few Mentions of 2008 Campaign Pope Benedict XVI speaks to members of the press on board his flight to the United States on April 15, 2008. May 6, 2008 Before the pope's plane - dubbed &...
ANALYSIS April 24, 2008
Courts Not Silent on Moments of Silence
Polls find that a majority of Americans favor the idea of a moment of silence in public schools. According to a 2005 Gallup poll, American adults much prefer allowing a moment of silence for contemplation or silent prayer in public schools over a spoken prayer in public schools (69% vs. 23%).
ANALYSIS April 3, 2008
On Eve of Visit, Pope Benedict Still Unknown to Many Americans
Two weeks before his first visit to the United States as spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI continues to be viewed favorably by a majority (52%) of Americans, which is virtually unchanged from August 2007 (50%).
ANALYSIS April 1, 2008
An Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ignited a nationwide debate in late 2003 when it ruled that the state must allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Almost overnight, same-sex marriage became a major national issue, pitting religious and social conservatives against gay-rights advocates and their allies.
ANALYSIS April 1, 2008
The Constitutional Dimensions of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate: 2008
On Nov. 4, 2008, California voters passed Proposition 8, amending the state's constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. The vote, which was significant enough to make national headlines on a historic Election Day, was the latest round in a long battle involving the California legislature, judiciary and voters.
ANALYSIS April 1, 2008
Gay Marriage Timeline
Timeline provided by Stateline.org.
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