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Explore Pew Forum publications—including public opinion polls, demographic reports, research studies, event transcripts and interviews—on key issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs:

 

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ANALYSIS November 4, 2010
Indonesia’s Place Along the Spectrum of Global Religious Restriction
This analysis draws upon testimony on U.S. International Religious Freedom Policy: the Outlook for 2010, before the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight, Feb. 3, 2010.
ANALYSIS November 3, 2010
Religion in the 2010 Elections: A Preliminary Look
A Pew Forum analysis of National Election Pool exit poll data reported by CNN shows that Republican gains among religious groups parallel the party’s broad-based gains among the overall electorate and white voters in particular.
October 21, 2010
Pre-Election Analysis: Politics in the Pulpit
A new survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that among voters who attend religious services at least once or twice a month, 15% say information on the political parties or candidates has been made available at their place of worship.  
LEGAL REPORT October 19, 2010
In Brief: Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn and Arizona Department of Revenue v. Winn
On Nov. 3, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a pair of related cases involving a constitutional challenge to an Arizona tax policy aimed at providing scholarships for children to attend private – often religious – schools.
GRAPHIC October 7, 2010
Hispanic Protestants Closely Divided Heading Into 2010 Elections; Hispanic Catholics Favor Democrats
A new survey by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, shows that Hispanic registered voters currently support Democratic candidates by a three-to-one margin in the upcoming midterm elections (65% vs. 22%). The survey data show, however, that there is a sharp divide between Hispanics who identify their religion as Catholic and those who identify as Protestant.
POLL October 6, 2010
Support For Same-Sex Marriage Edges Upward
Polls this year have found that more Americans favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally than did so just last year.
POLL September 17, 2010
Few Say Religion Shapes Immigration, Environment Views
Many Americans continue to say their religious beliefs have been highly influential in shaping their views about social issues, including abortion and same-sex marriage. But far fewer cite religion as a top influence on their opinions about several other social and political issues, including how the government should deal with immigration, the environment and poverty.
POLL August 18, 2010
Growing Number of Americans Say Obama is a Muslim
A substantial and growing number of Americans say that Barack Obama is a Muslim, while the proportion saying he is a Christian has declined. More than a year and a half into his presidency, a plurality of the public says they do not know what religion Obama follows.
ANALYSIS August 11, 2010
Much Hope, Modest Change for Democrats
An analysis of newly released 2008 exit poll data finds that while Barack Obama succeeded in attracting a larger share of the vote from some religious groups than John Kerry did in 2004, the large gaps in the electorate that had developed along religious lines in earlier elections persisted in 2008.
LEGAL REPORT August 4, 2010
Federal Court Strikes Down Calif. Same-Sex Marriage Ban
A federal district court judge struck down California’s ban on gay marriage, ruling that the prohibition violates the U.S. Constitution.
LEGAL REPORT June 28, 2010
High Court Rules Against Campus Christian Group
A divided Supreme Court today ruled, 5-4, that a public law school can deny recognition to a student group that excludes gays and lesbians. The Court said the school could enforce a policy requiring official student organizations to accept all students who want to join.
ANALYSIS June 11, 2010
The Pope Meets the Press: Media Coverage of the Clergy Abuse Scandal
Newspaper coverage of the Catholic clergy sexual abuse scandal grew more intense this spring than at any time since 2002, and European newspapers devoted even more ink to the story than American papers did, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.
INTERVIEW June 3, 2010
Tensions Between Rights of Conscience and Civil Rights
Until recently, the debate over “conscience protections” for health care workers centered largely on abortion and birth control. But in the past few years, new cases have emerged that have expanded the debate and raised questions about the tensions between individuals’ rights of conscience and the need to protect certain groups against discrimination, notably gays and lesbians.
LEGAL REPORT April 28, 2010
High Court Decision in Salazar v. Buono
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that had ordered the removal of a cross from a World War I memorial located in California’s Mojave National Preserve.
EVENT TRANSCRIPT April 27, 2010
A Conversation With Tariq Ramadan
European campaigns to ban burqas, the Swiss vote to bar new construction of minarets and attempted terrorist acts in the United States have renewed questions and concerns about the compatibility of Islam with Western society. Swiss-born scholar and philosopher of Islam Tariq Ramadan has written and spoken on the subject, generating widespread debate and reaction.
POLL April 7, 2010
Broad Criticism of Pope Benedict's Handling of Sex Abuse Scandal
Amid new revelations of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI's job ratings for handling the scandal have plummeted, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
LEGAL REPORT April 6, 2010
In Brief: Christian Legal Society v. Martinez
On April 19, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a case that will determine whether a public institution can refuse to officially recognize a religiously based organization that prevents those who do not share its religious and moral values from becoming voting members.
ANALYSIS March 25, 2010
Religion in the News: 2009
Pope Benedict XVI and the Obama administration generated the most religion-related coverage in the U.S. press in 2009. The pope, though he made no visits to the United States last year, was the subject of two of the top 10 religion stories, while the Obama administration accounted for three of the top 10 religion-focused storylines during the year.
EVENT TRANSCRIPT March 19, 2010
Briefing on U.S. International Religious Freedom Policy
Pew Forum Senior Researcher Brian J. Grim presented to the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight on the Pew Forum's findings on restrictions on religion around the world.
ANALYSIS January 26, 2010
A Brief History of Religion and the U.S. Census
This brief history of religion and the census explains why the census no longer includes questions on religion, even though it once did.
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