Most people in the countries surveyed identify as Buddhist or Muslim

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September 6, 2023

Buddhism, Islam and Religious Pluralism in South and Southeast Asia

Most people in the countries surveyed identify as Buddhist or Muslim

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Most people in the countries surveyed identify as Buddhist or Muslim

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Buddhism, Islam and Religious Pluralism in South and Southeast Asia
Countries included in this survey
Religion-state integrationists more likely to see threat in minority religious population growth
Religion-state integrationists less willing to accept Christian neighbors
Religion-state integrationists more likely than others to support religious leaders being politicians
Those who strongly link their nation and religion are more likely to be religious
Cambodia’s Buddhists nearly all support basing the law on Buddhist dharma
Majority of Singapore’s unaffiliated who believe in God, unseen beings also think karma exists
Majority of Singapore’s religious ‘nones’ say they believe in God or unseen beings
Increasing shares of Singaporean adults identify as Christian or religiously unaffiliated
15% of Singaporean adults have disaffiliated from a religion since childhood
Many adults in Singapore are shedding Buddhist, Chinese traditional religious identities
More education not universally tied to less religious observance
Younger Buddhists more accepting of religious conversion from Buddhism
Younger adults slightly more likely than their elders to believe in spirits
9 in 10 households in Sri Lanka and Thailand perform rituals on death anniversaries
Religious funeral practices especially common in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Thailand
Sri Lankans often pray or offer their respects to figures from other religions
Majorities across all surveyed countries believe in God or unseen beings
In most countries, high consistency between childhood and current religion
Muslims more likely than others to say conversion away from their faith is unacceptable
Singaporeans most likely to view various religions as compatible with their society
Few express negative sentiments about diversity in their country
Most Malaysian Muslims say religious leaders should be politicians as well as talk about their politics
Most Indonesian and Malaysian Muslims describe Islam as more than a religion
Cambodian Buddhists express comparatively high levels of support for engagement by religious leaders in politics
Cambodian Buddhists overwhelmingly favor basing national law on dharma
Many Thai Buddhists see Buddhism as an ethnicity
Religion and national identity tied together in Buddhist-majority countries

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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

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