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Religious Affiliation

Individuals identify with particular religious traditions for theological, doctrinal, cultural or other reasons. Explore Pew Forum publications—including public opinion polls, demographic reports, research studies, event transcripts and interviews—about various faiths and their members.

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The Global Religious Landscape
A country-by-country analysis of data from more than 2,500 censuses, surveys and population registers finds that 84% of adults and children around the globe are religiously affiliated. The study also finds that the median age of two major groups – Muslims (23 years) and Hindus (26) – is younger than the world’s overall population (28), while Jews have the highest median age (36).

 

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ANALYSIS April 27, 2009
Interactive: Reasons for Joining, Reasons for Leaving
About half of American adults have changed religious affiliation at least once in their lives. This interactive explores the reasons different groups cite for leaving or joining their religion.
ANALYSIS April 23, 2009
Religion in South Africa 15 Years After the End of Apartheid
Data from a 10-country survey of Pentecostals conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life in 2006 provides estimates of the religious affiliation of South Africa's urban population.
ANALYSIS April 16, 2009
Religious Groups' Views on Global Warming
An analysis by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life of a 2008 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press examines views on global warming among major religious traditions in the U.S. 
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 19, 2009
Most Mainline Protestants Say Society Should Accept Homosexuality
The Pew Forum's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that majorities of members two mainline Protestant denominations say that homosexuality is a way of life that should be accepted by society.
ANALYSIS March 16, 2009
Religion in the News: 2008
This report is a special segment of A Year in the News, an analysis of the mainstream media in 2008 conducted by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. This segment of the analysis was written in collaboration with the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life.
ANALYSIS March 4, 2009
Religious Groups Agree: Fixing the Nation's Economy Is Job One
While there is general agreement among religious groups that strengthening the economy should be a top policy priority for the government, people of different faiths are divided in their support for addressing other policy issues.
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.
ANALYSIS February 10, 2009
Religiously Mixed Couples: Cupid's Arrow Often Hits People of Different Faiths
More than one-in-four (27%) American adults who are married or living with a partner are in religiously mixed relationships. If people from different Protestant denominational families are included, nearly four-in-ten (37%) couples are religiously mixed.
ANALYSIS February 4, 2009
Religious Groups' Views on Evolution
A breakdown of 13 major religious groups' views on the issue. 
ANALYSIS February 4, 2009
Religious Differences on the Question of Evolution
The Pew Forum's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey found that views on evolution differ widely across religious groups.
ANALYSIS January 30, 2009
Income Distribution Within U.S. Religious Groups
Surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life find that income varies greatly within and across American religious groups.
ANALYSIS January 30, 2009
Faith-Based Aid Favored - With Reservations
While Americans generally support allowing religious groups to apply for government funding to provide social services, they draw the line at letting such organizations hire only people who share their religious beliefs.
ANALYSIS January 15, 2009
The Religious Affiliations of U.S. Presidents
Nearly half the nation's presidents have been affiliated with the Episcopal or Presbyterian churches.
ANALYSIS December 19, 2008
Faith on the Hill: 2008
Members of Congress are often accused of being out of touch with average citizens, but an examination of the religious affiliations of U.S. senators and representatives shows that, on one very basic level, Congress looks much like the rest of the country.
ANALYSIS December 19, 2008
Breaking Barriers: Congressman Dalip Singh Saund
In 1956 Saund, whose career would span the vocations of mathematician, farmer, author, activist and judge, became the first Indian-American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as the first - and so far only - Sikh member of Congress.
ANALYSIS December 19, 2008
The Religious Makeup of Congress
While Congress looks very much like the rest of the country, some religious minorities are underrepresented in the House and Senate, while others are overrepresented.
ANALYSIS December 19, 2008
Leadership of the 111th Congress Reflects Religious Diversity
Although the leadership on Capitol Hill today is much more diverse than it once was, Protestants still fill a substantial number of the top jobs in the 111th Congress.
ANALYSIS December 18, 2008
Many Americans Say Other Faiths Can Lead to Eternal Life
A majority of all American Christians (52%) think that at least some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life. Indeed, among Christians who believe many religions can lead to eternal life, 80% name at least one non-Christian faith that can do so.
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