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Explore Pew Forum publications—including public opinion polls, demographic reports, research studies, event transcripts and interviews—that focus on religion and public life in the Americas.

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The Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project

The Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project analyzes religious change and its impact on societies around the world.

A Half Century After It First Appeared on the Dollar Bill, "In God We Trust" Still Stirs Opposition
Oct. 1 marks the 50th anniversary of the appearance of "In God We Trust" on the paper currency of the United States. The phrase, which is the nation's official motto as well, has been caught in a broader debate over just how high the wall separating church and state should stand.
Clinton and Giuliani Seen as Not Highly Religious; Romney's Religion Raises Concerns
So far religion is not proving to be a clear-cut positive in the 2008 presidential campaign.
How the Public Resolves Conflicts Between Faith and Science
Science and religion have traditionally, and often incorrectly, been viewed as enemies. This perception has been fueled in part by a number of famous episodes in history that have pitted scientists, like Galileo and Darwin, against the prevailing religious establishments of their time.
Religion and the Presidential Vote: A Tale of Two Gaps
For the presidential candidates and the pundits who write about them, one concern in the 2008 campaign is the "religion gap" - shorthand for the religious differences between Republican and Democratic voters.
How Muslims Compare With Other Religious Americans
Although Muslims constitute a small minority in the United States, and their holy book and many of their religious rituals are distinctly their own, Muslim Americans are by no means "the other" when it comes to religious life or politics in the United States.
Religious Displays and the Courts
Each year as the winter holidays approach, Americans across the country debate the appropriateness of the government sponsoring, or even permitting, the display of Christmas nativity scenes, Hanukkah menorahs and other religious holiday symbols on public property.
Twenty Years After a Landmark Supreme Court Decision, Americans Are Still Fighting About Evolution
Twenty years ago, on June 19, 1987, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that dramatically reshaped the debate over teaching evolution in public schools.
The High Court Upholds the Federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act
On April 18, 2007, the Supreme Court handed abortion opponents a major victory, ruling that the Federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act does not violate the constitutional right to abortion.
Public Views of Presidential Politics and Mormon Faith
Surveys by the Pew Research Center and other national polling organizations show strong public misgivings about the religion as well as about any presidential candidate who also belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
An Evolving Debate about Evolution
The evolution controversy, traditionally a state and local issue, has vaulted into the national political arena, making a surprise appearance at the first Republican presidential candidate debate on May 3 and garnering a large amount of press attention in the days following the event.
Religion in the Public Schools
Nearly a half-century after the Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling striking down school-sponsored prayer, Americans continue to fight over the place of religion in public schools.
High Court Decision Could Raise Abortion's Profile in Campaign
Wednesday's 5-4 Supreme Court decision upholding a federal law banning a controversial abortion procedure may dramatically raise abortion's visibility in the presidential election campaign.
Pope to Visit 'Pentecostalized' Brazil
Survey Shows Growing Movement Threatens Catholic Dominance Pope John Paul II travels through a shower of confetti in his popemobile during a 1980 visit to Brazil. Photo: RNS April 19, 2007 Updated: May 9, 2007 by Luis Lugo, Director, Pew Forum on ...
The Culture War and the Coming Election
At the moment no hot-button issue looms but events could change that quickly April 11, 2007 by David Masci, Senior Research Fellow, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life The 2008 presidential election is still more than a year-and-a-half away, b...
Presidential Preferences of White Non-Hispanic Catholics
Key Swing Vote in Recent Elections April 3, 2007 by John Green, Senior Fellow, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life White non-Hispanic Catholics have become a key swing vote in recent national elections. According to the 2004 exit polls, 56% of...
Giuliani Leads Among White Mainline Protestant Republicans; Four Have Double-Digit Support Among Mainline Democrats
April 3, 2007 by John Green, Senior Fellow, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life White mainline Protestants have been divided politically in recent national elections. According to the 2004 exit polls, 55% of this group voted for George W. Bush...
Giuliani, McCain Lead Among Evangelical Republicans
23% Still Undecided April 2, 2007 by John Green, Senior Fellow, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life One of the largest religious groups in the U.S., representing about one-fifth of the electorate, white evangelicals are a strong Republican con...
Strange Bedfellows: Why Are Some Religious Groups Defending 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus'?
by David Masci, Senior Research Fellow, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life March 27, 2007 A recent Supreme Court case involving the free speech rights of students is producing some very unusual alliances. Christian conservative groups, such a...
The "Christmas Wars": Holiday Displays and the Federal Courts
December 12, 2006 For more information about the Christmas wars, see the recent transcript The Christmas Wars: Religion in the American Public Square. Download PDF version (146 KB) Heated disputes over seasonal religious displays in public spaces ...
Religion and the 2006 Elections
Exit polls show that the religious divide that has come to characterize American politics persisted in the 2006 election; white evangelicals and those who attend church frequently continued to support Republicans by large margins, while secular vo...
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