feature | Jan 15, 2009
Thursday, Jan. 22 marks the 36th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark abortion ruling, Roe v. Wade (1973). Abortion remains a divisive issue in the U.S., with a slim majority (53%) in favor of keeping it legal in all or most cases and four-in-ten in favor of making it illegal in all or most […]
feature | Dec 19, 2008
The charts below highlight key findings from a Pew Forum report, “Faith on the Hill: The Religious Affiliations of Members of Congress.” The report shows that while Congress looks very much like the rest of the country, some religious minorities are underrepresented in the House and Senate, while others are overrepresented. For an in-depth examination […]
feature | Dec 11, 2008
This holiday season, the American Humanist Association has launched a campaign featuring ads on Washington, D.C., buses that proclaim, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.” But a 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project found that a majority of Americans say it is necessary to believe in […]
feature | Dec 4, 2008
The Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, takes place in early December this year. Every able-bodied Muslim is expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime, and the Hajj attracts millions of believers every year. The Pew Research Center’s 2007 Muslim American survey found […]
feature | Nov 13, 2008
On Nov. 18, 2003, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage following a ruling by the state’s highest court. In the five years since the Massachusetts decision, 26 states have amended their constitutions to ban gay marriage. Before the Massachusetts ruling, only three states had passed constitutional amendments prohibiting the practice – Alaska […]
feature | Nov 5, 2008
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life hosted three press conference calls for journalists starting at midnight on election night and continuing through Wednesday, Nov. 5. Pew Forum experts analyzed religion’s role in the election, examined how the religious public voted and more. Senior Fellow John Green answered questions from members of the media […]
feature | Nov 3, 2008
The latest survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press includes analysis of the candidate preferences of major religious groups. These charts are based on results among registered voters interviewed in People-Press surveys conducted on the dates indicated. For a Nov. 2 analysis of the candidate preferences of likely voters, see […]
feature | Oct 23, 2008
The latest report from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press shows that, as in previous elections, differences in voting patterns by religion are amplified when church attendance is taken into account. For example, Barack Obama has made no headway among white evangelical Protestants who attend church at least once a week; […]
feature | Aug 8, 2008
Senior Fellow John Green spoke with former advisers to Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney about outreach to religious voters in the 2008 primaries. They also discussed the role faith outreach may play in the general election. Read the full transcript >>
feature | Apr 1, 2008
Timeline provided by Stateline.org « Return to the gay marriage issue page A history of same-sex marriage laws Important events are listed in red 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court rules the state must show a compelling reason to ban same-sex marriage and orders a lower court to hear a case seeking the right of same-sex couples […]