Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Publications

  • report

    Stem Cell Research Around the World

    The United States is only one of many countries playing an important role in stem cell research. In the last decade, several European and Asian countries have become leading centers for the study of stem cells and their possible therapeutic uses. These countries, along with countries from other regions of the world, have greatly expanded […]

  • report

    Declining Majority of Americans Favor Embryonic Stem Cell Research

    While a majority of the American public still favors embryonic stem cell research, surveys by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press show that the size of this majority has declined somewhat in recent years. Indeed, after showing consistent increases in the early […]

  • report

    The Science Behind Stem Cell Research

    For decades, stem cells have attracted the attention of medical researchers and others because they have the capacity to develop into specialized cells that make up a variety of organ and other tissues. These so-called “building blocks of nature” can literally transform into any other type of cell in the body, making them potentially invaluable […]

  • report

    Stem Cell Research at the Crossroads of Religion and Politics

    Embryonic stem cell research, which uses special cells found in three- to five-day-old human embryos to seek cures for a host of chronic diseases, has sparked a major moral and political debate in the United States. In the 10 years since University of Wisconsin scientists announced they had harvested potentially life-saving cells from surplus embryos […]

  • report

    McCain’s Lead Among Evangelicals Smaller than Bush’s in ’04

    Republican presidential candidate John McCain has a smaller lead among white evangelical Protestants than Republican George W. Bush had at a similar point in the 2004 campaign, even though Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has made few inroads into this key constituency. Those who are unaffiliated with a particular religion, on the other hand, are […]

  • report

    Resources on Anglicanism

    The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has assembled a variety of resources on Anglicanism, including reports, event transcripts, survey data and news clips. Pew Forum Resources Survey The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey June 23, 2008 The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey explores Americans’ religious beliefs and practices as well as their social and political […]

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    Religion in China

    The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has assembled a variety of resources on religion in China and Asia, including reports, event transcripts, polling data and news clips. Pew Forum Resources China Report Religion in China on the Eve of the 2008 Beijing Olympics May 2, 2008 Senior Fellow Brian Grim examines the religious […]

  • report

    Running on Faith

    As the historic 2008 presidential primary season came to an end, the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees faced similar dilemmas. Both Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) decided to sever ties with controversial religious figures who had been backing their campaigns. As the general election campaign got under way, both […]

  • fact sheet

    Accommodating Faith in the Military

    Over the past few years, there have been several controversies over religion’s role in the military. Most recently, students and staff at the U.S. Naval Academy and West Point have complained of pressure from their supervisors to engage in religious activities. Three years earlier, there were similar allegations at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Other […]

  • fact sheet

    Hein, One Year Later: The Future of Church-State Litigation

    Washington, D.C. In the Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation decision in June 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court made it more difficult for courts to enforce the Establishment Clause’s restrictions on government funding of religion. In Hein, the high court ruled that unless a legislative body has specifically directed funding to a religious organization or […]