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Beliefs & Practices

Examination of religious beliefs and practices provides insight into religion’s influence on individuals and communities worldwide. Explore Pew Forum publications—including public opinion polls, demographic reports, research studies, event transcripts and interviews—about religious beliefs and practices:

 

Belief in God Importance of Religion Other Beliefs & Practices
Frequency of Prayer Religious Attendance  

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GRAPHIC April 11, 2013
American Hindus To Celebrate a New Year
While the date of the Hindu New Year varies by region and custom, many Hindus celebrate in mid-April at home and in temples. According to a 2012 survey of Asian Americans, 85% of Asian American Hindus attend worship services at a temple at least a few times a year, and 78% have a religious shrine in their home.
GRAPHIC April 28, 2011
National Day of Prayer
A federal appeals court recently overturned a lower court ruling that had declared the National Day of Prayer to be unconstitutional. The day of prayer, established by Congress in 1952, occurs annually on the first Thursday in May, which this year falls on May 5.
GRAPHIC December 21, 2009
How Religious Is Your State?
Which of the 50 states has the most religious population? Since there are many ways to define "religious," there is no single answer to this question. But to give a sense of how the states stack up, the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life used polling data to rank them on four measures. 
GRAPHIC June 11, 2009
Most Latino Evangelicals Pray Every Day
The Pew Forum's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that Hispanic evangelicals, like other evangelicals, are more likely to pray every day than the population overall. Hispanic evangelicals are also more likely to pray daily than Hispanics who belong to other major religious groups.
ANALYSIS April 9, 2009
Christians' Views on the Return of Christ
Fully 79% of Christians in the U.S. say they believe that Christ will return to Earth someday. There is less agreement among Christians, however, over the timing and circumstances of his return.
ANALYSIS April 2, 2009
Not All Nonbelievers Call Themselves Atheists
According to the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, 5% of American adults say they do not believe in God or a universal spirit, but only about a quarter (24%) of these nonbelievers actually call themselves atheists.
ANALYSIS March 12, 2009
Is a Bad Economy Good for Church Attendance?
Contrary to recent media reports suggesting that the country's economic troubles have led to higher levels of church attendance, there has been no increase in weekly worship service attendance.
ANALYSIS February 26, 2009
The Stronger Sex -- Spiritually Speaking
An analysis of data from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that women are more religious than men on a variety of measures.
GRAPHIC January 30, 2009
African-Americans and Religion
A new analysis by the Pew Forum finds that African-Americans are markedly more religious on a variety of measures than the U.S. population as a whole.
ANALYSIS December 11, 2008
Being Good for Goodness' Sake?
A 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project found that a majority of Americans say it is necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values.
ANALYSIS December 4, 2008
The Importance of Pilgrimage to Muslim Americans
The Pew Research Center's 2007 Muslim American survey found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. Muslims say that taking a pilgrimage to Mecca is very important to them.
ANALYSIS October 23, 2008
How Church Attendance Affects Religious Voting Patterns
The latest report from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press shows that, as in previous elections, differences in voting patterns by religion are amplified when church attendance is taken into account