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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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POLL January 12, 2012
Mormons in America
A new nationally representative survey focused exclusively on Mormons explores their religious beliefs and practices, political ideology, views on moral and social issues, and attitudes toward faith, family life, the media and society.
POLL August 30, 2011
Muslim Americans: No Signs of Growth in Alienation or Support for Extremism
As the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, a comprehensive public opinion survey by the Pew Research Center finds no indication of increased alienation or anger among Muslim Americans in response to growing concerns about home-grown Islamic terrorists, controversies about the building of mosques and other pressures on this high-profile minority group in recent years. Nor does the new polling provide any evidence of rising support for Islamic extremism among Muslim Americans.
POLL June 22, 2011
Global Survey of Evangelical Protestant Leaders
Evangelical Protestant leaders who live in the Global South generally are optimistic about the prospects for evangelicalism in their countries: 71% expect that five years from now the state of evangelicalism in their countries will be better than it is today. But those who live in the Global North expect that the state of evangelicalism in their countries will either stay about the same (21%) or worsen (33%) over the next five years.
POLL February 28, 2011
Resources on the Future of the Global Muslim Population
Explore the Future of the Global Muslim Population report and related resources.
POLL February 17, 2011
Resources on Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa
Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa, a 19-country survey by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, reveals that the vast majority of people in many sub-Saharan African nations are deeply committed to Christianity or Islam, and yet many continue to practice elements of traditional African religions.
POLL August 24, 2010
Public Remains Conflicted Over Islam
The public continues to express conflicted views of Islam. Favorable opinions of Islam have declined since 2005, but there has been virtually no change over the past year in the proportion of Americans saying that Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence. As was the case a year ago, slightly more people say the Islamic religion does not encourage violence more than other religions (42%) than say that it does (35%).
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.
POLL April 15, 2010
Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa
A new 19-country survey by the Pew Forum reveals that the vast majority of people in many sub-Saharan African nations are deeply committed to Christianity or Islam, and yet many continue to practice elements of traditional African religions.
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.
POLL February 17, 2010
Religion Among the Millennials
By some key measures, Americans ages 18 to 29 are considerably less religious than older Americans. Yet in other ways, Millennials remain fairly traditional in their religious beliefs and practices.
ANALYSIS December 9, 2009
Many Americans Mix Multiple Faiths
The religious beliefs and practices of Americans do not fit neatly into conventional categories. A new poll by the Pew Forum finds that large numbers of Americans engage in multiple religious practices, mixing elements of diverse traditions.
ANALYSIS December 1, 2009
GOP Seen as Friendlier To Religion Than Democrats
The number of Americans describing the Democratic Party as friendly toward religion returned to levels similar to those seen in 2005 through 2007, according to a recent survey report. The Obama administration, however, is seen as friendly toward religion by more people (37%) than the Democratic Party as a whole (29%).
ANALYSIS November 18, 2009
Modest Rise in Concern About Islamic Extremism
The public continues to express concern about the rise of Islamic extremism in the United States and abroad, but a survey taken shortly after the deadly Nov. 5 shootings at the Fort Hood Army base shows only a modest increase in these concerns since 2007.
ANALYSIS October 28, 2009
The "Zeal of the Convert": Is It the Real Deal?
A recent Pew Forum analysis finds that people who have switched faiths (or joined a faith after being raised unaffiliated with a religion) are indeed slightly more religious than those who have remained in their childhood faith.
ANALYSIS September 9, 2009
Muslims Widely Seen As Facing Discrimination
Eight years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Americans see Muslims as facing more discrimination inside the U.S. than other major religious groups. Nearly six-in-ten adults (58%) say that Muslims are subject to a lot of discrimination, far more than say the same about Jews, evangelical Christians, atheists or Mormons.
POLL July 24, 2009
A Portrait of Mormons in the U.S.
This report, based on data from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, explores Mormons' unique place in the American religious landscape and is divided into three parts: demographic characteristics, religious beliefs and practices, and social and political views.
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 June 4, 2009
Brides, Grooms Often Have Different Faiths
Data from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life in 2007, shows that many marriages are between people of different religious faiths.
ANALYSIS May 14, 2009
Catholic Opinion on Notre Dame Controversy Differs by Church Attendance
A recent survey by the Pew Forum found that about half of American Catholics have heard at least a little about the controversy over the University of Notre Dame's decision to invite President Barack Obama to speak at the university's May 17 commencement and receive an honorary degree.
POLL April 30, 2009
Obama, Catholics and the Notre Dame Commencement
Most Catholics who have heard about the issue support Notre Dame's decision to invite President Obama to speak at its May 17 commencement even though he supports abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research. But a poll finds a deep division on this issue between the most-observant Catholics and those who are less observant.
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