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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.

Religion and the 2012 South Carolina Republican Primary
In his South Carolina Republican primary win, Newt Gingrich received strong support from born-again/evangelical Christians and from voters who said that it is important to them that a candidate shares their religious beliefs.
Religion and the Presidential Campaign: January Update
Polling conducted Jan. 11-16 shows that Mitt Romney maintains a substantial lead nationally in the race for the GOP nomination and finds few differences in the candidate preferences of some major religious groups.
In Brief: Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC
On Oct. 5, 2011, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a case that could help determine how much latitude religious organizations have in making employment decisions about clergy and others who perform religious duties.
Religion and the 2012 New Hampshire Republican Primary
Interviews conducted as voters left the polls in the 2012 GOP primary show that Mitt Romney was the winner among born-again evangelical Christians as well as among non-evangelical voters.
Majority Continues to Support Death Penalty
A November 2011 survey finds continued majority support for the death penalty in the U.S. Compared with 20 years ago, however, there is more concern today among death penalty opponents about flaws in the justice system and the possibility that innocent people could be put to death.
Religion and the 2012 Iowa Republican Caucuses
Polling conducted as voters entered the 2012 Iowa caucuses shows a clear split between born-again evangelical Christians, who favored Rick Santorum, and other voters, who favored Mitt Romney.
Religion and the GOP Nomination Race: December Update
Newt Gingrich currently holds a 35% to 21% lead over Mitt Romney among Republican and Republican-leaning voters who say they are very likely to vote in the GOP primaries or caucuses, and his lead is even larger among white evangelical GOP voters.
Romney's Mormon Faith Likely a Factor in Primaries, Not in a General Election
A new survey finds that there has been virtually no change in Americans' impressions of the Mormon faith over the past four years. Meanwhile, about half of all voters, and 60% of evangelical Republicans, know that Mitt Romney is a Mormon. Romney’s religion has implications for his nomination run but not for the general election should he be nominated as his party’s standard bearer.
Lobbying for the Faithful
A new report gives a brief history of organized religious advocacy in Washington, D.C., and examines the major characteristics of religion-related advocacy. A related online directory includes profiles of 216 groups currently or recently active in the nation’s capital.
Lobbying for the Faithful: Event Transcript
 A November 2011 Pew Forum report gave a brief history of organized religious advocacy in Washington, D.C., and examined the major characteristics of religion-related advocacy. The Pew Forum hosted an event to discuss the report’s key findings with journalists, policymakers and representatives from organizations that advocate on religion-related issues in Washington.  
Presidential Preferences of Religious Groups: Early Polling
One year out from the presidential election, Romney and Perry had roughly equal support among registered Republican and Republican-leaning evangelicals, and both led Obama in a hypothetical matchup.
Resources on Mormonism and the LDS Church in America
How do Americans view the Mormon faith and its followers? What is the public’s perception of a Mormon candidate? Explore the Pew Research Center’s resources on Mormonism and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Public Opinion on the Death Penalty
A 2010 Pew Research Center survey found that most Americans (62%) continue to express support for the death penalty for persons convicted of murder, while 30% oppose it. This is nearly identical to the level of support in 2007 but somewhat lower than earlier in the 2000s and especially the 1990s.
Churches in Court
 Whenever churches or religious organizations find themselves involved in civil litigation, courts first must determine whether the First Amendment’s religion clauses bestow a unique legal status on religious organizations that puts some of their decisions and actions beyond the reach of civil laws. 
Religion in the News: Islam Was No. 1 Topic in 2010
 Events and controversies related to Islam dominated U.S. press coverage of religion in 2010, bumping the Catholic Church from the top spot, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
The Tea Party and Religion
A new analysis by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that Tea Party supporters tend to have conservative opinions not just about economic matters, but also about social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.
Faith on the Hill
The political overhaul of the U.S. Congress after the 2010 elections appears to have had little effect on the religious composition of the legislative body, which is similar to the religious makeup of the previous Congress and of the nation, according to an analysis by the Pew Forum.
Most Continue to Favor Gays Serving Openly in Military
As the Pentagon prepares to release its highly anticipated survey of military personnel about the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, a Pew Research Center survey finds that most Americans (58%) say they favor allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the armed forces.
Proposition 8 on Trial: A Federal Court of Appeals Takes Up California’s Gay Marriage Ban
On Dec. 6, a federal appeals court in San Francisco will hear arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, a voter-approved 2008 California ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in the state.
Post-Election Analysis: Politics in the Pulpit
A new survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that compared with 2006, fewer voters encountered information on parties or candidates in their house of worship, and only 6% say they were contacted by religious groups about the election campaign.
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