---
title: "Appendix: Political categorization"
description: "For this analysis, we grouped people into two political categories: those who support the governing political party (or parties) in their country, and those who do not. These categories were coded based on the party or parties in power at the time the survey was fielded and on respondents’ answers to a question asking which […]"
date: "2026-03-05"
authors:
  - name: "Jonathan Evans"
    job_title: "Senior Researcher"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/jonathan-evans/"
  - name: "Kirsten Lesage"
    job_title: "Research Associate"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/kirsten-lesage/"
  - name: "Manolo Corichi"
    job_title: "Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/manolo-corichi/"
  - name: "William Miner"
    job_title: "Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/william-miner/"
  - name: "Andrew Prozorovsky"
    job_title: "Research Assistant"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/andrew-prozorovsky/"
  - name: "Julia Armeli"
    job_title: "Research Assistant"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/julia-armeli/"
  - name: "Alan Cooperman"
    job_title: "Director, Religion Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/alan-cooperman/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2026/03/05/appendix-political-categorization-international-morality/"
categories:
  - "Religion & Abortion"
  - "Religion & LGBTQ Acceptance"
  - "Religion & Social Values"
datasets:
  - name: "Spring 2025 Survey Data"
    url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/dataset/spring-2025-survey-data/"
---

# Appendix: Political categorization

For this analysis, we grouped people into two political categories: those who support the governing political party (or parties) in their country, and those who do not. These categories were coded based on the party or parties in power at the time the survey was fielded and on respondents’ answers to a question asking which political party, if any, they identify with in their country.[2. numoffset="2" Governing parties were not updated to account for elections that occurred after the survey was fielded and resulted in a new party (or parties) serving in government. Language used to measure party identification varied from country to country.]

In countries where multiple political parties govern in coalition (as is the case in many European countries), survey respondents who indicate support for any party in the coalition were grouped together. In Germany, for example, where the Social Democratic Party governed with Alliance 90/The Greens at the time of the 2025 survey, supporters of either party were grouped together. In countries where different political parties control the executive and legislative branches of government, the party holding the executive branch was considered the governing party.

Survey respondents who did not indicate support for any political party, or who refused to identify with one, were categorized as *not* supporting the government in power.

The table below outlines the governing political parties in each survey country.

[![A table showing Political categorization](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/03/pr_2026.03.05_international-morality_a_01.png?w=640)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=290417)

---

**Next:** [Acknowledgments](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2026/03/05/acknowledgments-international-morality.md)