Around the World, Many People Are Leaving Their Childhood Religions
In many places surveyed, 20% or more of all adults have left their childhood religious group. Christianity and Buddhism have had especially large losses.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Middle East & North Africa
Comparing Levels of Religious Nationalism Around the World
We asked people in three dozen countries how they see religion’s role in society, government and national identity.
Majority in U.S. Say Israel Has Valid Reasons for Fighting; Fewer Say the Same About Hamas
57% of Americans express some sympathy with both Israelis and Palestinians, including 26% who say their sympathies lie equally with both groups.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Fresh data delivered Saturday mornings
Displaying 1-10 of ? results
Filtering by:
Reset
-
Support for U.S. Campaign against ISIS; Doubts about Its Effectiveness, Objectives
The public continues to support the U.S. military campaign against Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria. But most Americans say the U.S. military effort against ISIS is not going well.
-
Tunisian Confidence in Democracy Wanes
With parliamentary elections approaching later this month, Tunisian support for democracy has declined steeply since the early days of the Arab Spring. Just 48% of Tunisians now say democracy is preferable to other kinds of government, down from 63% in a 2012 poll conducted only months after a popular uprising removed longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from office.
-
Bipartisan Support for Obama’s Military Campaign Against ISIS
In a rare display of bipartisanship, majorities of both Republicans (64%) and Democrats (60%) approve of President Obama’s plan for a military campaign against Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria.
-
A Less Gloomy Mood in Pakistan
Most Pakistanis remain unhappy with the country’s direction, but the public mood is more positive than it has been in recent years. The share saying the economy is in good shape has doubled since last year, and nearly two-thirds view Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif favorably.
-
Who Are the Iraqi Kurds?
Kurds are playing a major role in the current conflict in Iraq, and are often mentioned alongside Iraq’s Sunni and Shia Muslim populations. But Kurds are an ethnic group, not a distinct religious sect within Islam; nearly all Iraqi Kurds consider themselves Sunni Muslims.
-
Who are the Iraqi Kurds?
While the Kurds are a crucial part of Iraq’s political makeup, they are an ethnic group, not a distinct religious sect within Islam.
-
Support for U.S. Airstrikes in Iraq; Concern About Getting Too Involved
As fighting rages in Iraq, most Americans (54%) say they approve of U.S. airstrikes against Islamic militants there, while 31% disapprove. But while the public backs airstrikes, there is widespread concern about the U.S. becoming too involved in Iraq. Overall, 51% say their greater concern about military action is that the U.S. will go too […]
-
Support for Turkey’s Erdogan drops sharply in Middle East
Amid continued unrest in the region, support for Erdogan has dropped significantly in four of the seven Middle Eastern nations surveyed since last year.
-
Turks Divided on Erdogan and the Country’s Direction
As Turkey prepares to vote for its first ever directly elected president, a new Pew Research Center survey finds the Turkish public is divided over the main contender for the office, current Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
