report | Dec 7, 2012

Overview of Same-Sex Marriage in the United States

Across the U.S., a fierce debate is taking place between those who hope all gays and lesbians will soon have the right to marry and those who believe that same-sex marriage is helping to undermine heterosexual marriage. Read about the history and current status of the same-sex marriage debate.

report | Dec 7, 2012

Election 2012 Post Mortem: White Evangelicals and Support for Romney

Leading up to the election, there was speculation about how strongly white evangelical Protestants would support a Mormon candidate. According to a new Pew Research Center analysis of exit poll data, white evangelicals voted for Mitt Romney with as much enthusiasm as his other supporters did.

report | Nov 21, 2012

Laws Penalizing Blasphemy, Apostasy and Defamation of Religion are Widespread

On Nov. 20, a Pakistani court ordered blasphemy charges dropped against a Christian teenager who had been accused of burning pages from the Quran. A new Pew Forum analysis finds that as of 2011 nearly half the countries and territories in the world have laws against blasphemy, apostasy or defamation.

report | Nov 16, 2012

Faith on the Hill: The Religious Composition of the 113th Congress

The newly elected 113th Congress includes the first Buddhist to serve in the Senate, the first Hindu to serve in either chamber and the first member of Congress to describe her religion as "none." While Congress remains majority Protestant, the institution is far less so today than it was 50 years ago.

report | Nov 7, 2012

How the Faithful Voted: 2012 Preliminary Analysis

Obama's margin of victory in the 2012 popular vote was smaller than in 2008. But the religious contours of the electorate were similar to recent elections – traditionally Republican groups such as white evangelicals and weekly churchgoers strongly backed Romney, while traditionally Democratic groups such as black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics, Jews and the religiously unaffiliated backed Obama by large margins.

report | Oct 18, 2012

Latinos, Religion and Campaign 2012

A recent survey finds Latino Catholic voters strongly favor Obama, while Latino evangelical Protestants are more closely divided in their support for Obama and Romney. The survey also finds rising support for same-sex marriage among Latinos.

report | Oct 11, 2012

The Catholic “Swing” Vote

Catholics are often identified as a major "swing" voting group in American politics. A new analysis shows that the only group of Catholics that has been divided in recent elections is white Catholics who identify as political moderates.

report | Oct 10, 2012

Voters in Four States to Address Same-Sex Marriage in November

Keeping track of the legal status of same-sex marriage across the country can be difficult. As voters in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington state prepare to address the issue in November, this map illustrates the situation in all 50 states.

report | Oct 9, 2012

“Nones” on the Rise

The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling.

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