pewforum.org Topics Religious Affiliation

Christian

Explore Pew Forum publications—including public opinion polls, demographic reports, research studies, event transcripts and interviews—about the Christian religion and its members, as well as many of the religious groups that it encompasses: evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants, members of historically black Protestant churches, Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Orthodox Christians and other Christians.

RLS_small
Global Christianity
A comprehensive demographic study finds that there are 2.18 billion Christians of all ages around the world, representing nearly a third of the estimated 2010 global population of 6.9 billion. Christians are also geographically widespread, and no single region can indisputably claim to be the center of global Christianity.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Global Restrictions on Religion
More than half a century ago, the United Nations affirmed the principle of religious freedom in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, defining it as "the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion."
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.
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.
Public Opinion on Gay Marriage: Opponents Consistently Outnumber Supporters
Based on an April 2009 poll, this report includes a discussion of public opinion on gay marriage, same-sex unions and adoption by same-sex couples.
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.
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.
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.
Faith in Flux
Americans change religious affiliation early and often. In total, about half of American adults have changed religious affiliation at least once during their lives.
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.
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.
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. 
The Political Obligations of Catholics: A Conversation With the Most Rev. Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Denver
What should we expect from Catholic leaders with respect to the policy decisions of President Obama and those of future administrations? To discuss this issue and others, the Pew Forum invited Archbishop Chaput, appointed by Pope John Paul II and the first Native American archbishop to be ordained in the U.S. 
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.
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.
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.
Religious Groups' Views on Evolution
A breakdown of 13 major religious groups' views on the issue. 
Page 1 2 3 4 5