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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.

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ANALYSIS June 13, 2007
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.
ANALYSIS June 6, 2007
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.
ANALYSIS May 16, 2007
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.
ANALYSIS May 16, 2007
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.
ANALYSIS May 9, 2007
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.
ANALYSIS April 19, 2007
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.
ANALYSIS April 19, 2007
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 ...
ANALYSIS April 11, 2007
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...
ANALYSIS April 3, 2007
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...
ANALYSIS April 3, 2007
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...
ANALYSIS April 2, 2007
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...
ANALYSIS March 27, 2007
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...
ANALYSIS December 12, 2006
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 ...
ANALYSIS December 1, 2006
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...
ANALYSIS November 8, 2006
Split State Decisions on "Culture War" Issues
by Robert Ruby, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life November 8, 2006 Voters in South Dakota on Tuesday rejected what would have been the nation's most restrictive law against abortion, and Arizona became the first state to defeat a ballot init...
ANALYSIS November 1, 2006
Is There a Culture War? A Dialogue on Values and American Public Life
James Davison Hunter and Alan Wolfe Pew Forum Dialogues on Religion & Public Life E.J. Dionne Jr. and Michael Cromartie, Series Editors Executive Summary (.pdf) Order the book In the wake of a bitter 2004 presidential campaign and in the face ...
ANALYSIS November 1, 2006
The Supreme Court Revisits the Partial Birth Abortion Issue
Gonzales v. Carhart and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood Download the full backgrounder (12-page pdf) Abortion resource page Introduction On Nov. 8, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in two cases that challenge the constitutionality o...
ANALYSIS July 6, 2006
Do the Democrats Have a 'God Problem'?
How Public Perceptions May Spell Trouble for the Party by Gregory A. Smith, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and Peyton M. Craighill, Pew Research Center for the People & the Press In the immediate aftermath of George W. Bush's 2004 vic...
ANALYSIS April 6, 2006
The Supreme Court's Decision in Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita
Unanimous Court Upholds Group's Right to Use Illegal Drug in Worship Services Download the Decision Analysis Download the Legal Backgrounder On Feb. 29, 2006, the Supreme Court ruled that the adherents of a small religious group can continue, for ...
ANALYSIS March 22, 2006
Prospects for Inter-Religious Understanding
Will Views Toward Muslims and Islam Follow Historical Trends? Download this analysis (164K .pdf) Although tolerance is an American ideal and freedom of religion is enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, American history has oft...
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