Latin America’s Catholics in the Spotlight
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina will be formally installed as Pope Francis on Tuesday, March 19, becoming the first pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church from Latin America.
The Shifting Global Catholic Population
Catholics have made up a remarkably stable share of the global population over the past century, but their geographic distribution has shifted significantly during that time.
The Global Religious Landscape
A comprehensive demographic study of more than 230 countries and territories estimates that 84% of the 2010 world population of 6.9 billion is religiously affiliated.
Mexicans Back Military Campaign Against Cartels
As Felipe Calderón’s term as Mexico’s president draws to a close, Mexicans continue to strongly back his policy of deploying the military to combat the country’s powerful drug cartels, despite public unease about the moral cost of the drug war.
Infographic: Catholics in Mexico and Cuba
This infographic is based on data from the Pew Forum’s December 2011 demographic study Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population.
Global Christianity
Christians make up about the same proportion of the world’s population today as they did a century ago, but there has been a momentous shift in where they live.
Crime and Drug Cartels Top Concerns in Mexico
Less than half of Mexicans believe that their government is making progress in its campaign against the nation’s drug cartels, according to a new survey. But a big majority still supports the government’s use of the army to fight drug traffickers.
Brazilians Upbeat About Their Country, Despite Its Problems
At a time when global publics are mostly glum, half of Brazilians say they are satisfied with national conditions, and 62% say their economy is in good shape. Most also see their country as a rising global power.
Mexicans Continue Support for Drug War
As their country struggles with ongoing economic challenges and drug violence, Mexicans are unhappy with national conditions. Roughly eight-in-ten (79%) are dissatisfied with the way things are going in their country and 75% say the economy is in bad shape.
Mexicans Continue Support for Drug War
Mexicans overwhelmingly continue to endorse President Calderón’s campaign against the drug cartels and most — though somewhat fewer than a year ago — see progress in the drug war. But opposition to direct U.S. involvement has increased, and Mexican views of the U.S. generally turned negative following passage of the recent Arizona immigration law.
