Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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  • short reads

    Secular Americans

    Only about one-in-eight Americans describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or unaffiliated with a religious tradition, though the number has risen from the 8% who said so in 1987.

  • short reads

    Awaiting the Judgment Day

    Eight-in-ten adult Americans agree with the statement that “we will all be called before God at the Judgment Day to answer for our sins.”

  • short reads

    Think Government Serves the Public Interest

    That’s the minority share of the American public that now agrees with the view that “the government is really run for the benefit of all the people,” down from the 55% who said so five years ago.

  • report

    The Talk Hosts Get Personal

    Three of the top-10 topics on the cable and radio talk shows last week directly involved the hosts themselves. They included an argument over the SCHIP health care program, the debate over U.S. policy in Iraq, and the strange case of Randi Rhodes.

  • fact sheet

    The Free Exercise Clause and the Parameters of Religious Liberty

    The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees that the federal government will respect the “free exercise” of religion. But the precise meaning of “free exercise” and exactly what constitutes an infringement of this right are not clear-cut. At the heart of the debate is one basic question: Do individuals or groups professing sincerely held […]

  • fact sheet

    A Delicate Balance: The Free Exercise Clause and the Supreme Court

    In a new series of occasional reports, “Religion and the Courts: The Pillars of Church-State Law,” the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life explores the complex, fluid relationship between government and religion. Among the issues to be examined are religion in public schools, displays of religious symbols on public property, conflicts concerning the free […]

  • report

    Parent and Teen Internet Use

    Parents view the internet less favorably than in 2004, yet are still engaged with their children’s media consumption. Teens are more likely than their parents to say tech devices are helpful.

  • report

    Online Games

    Ed Castronova offers insights into the rise of virtual identities through online games and raises questions about the future of interpersonal communication.