How Americans Feel About Religion’s Influence in Government and Public Life
A growing share of U.S. adults say religion is gaining influence, but most still want churches to stay out of politics, a 2026 survey finds.
Religion
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Catholicism has lost people to religious switching in many countries, while Protestantism has gained in some
Within Christianity, religious switching has affected the two largest subgroups, Catholicism and Protestantism, differently.
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Americans have become more likely to say Trump is not too or not at all religious
Among Trump’s strongest supporters, relatively few people say they think he is very religious. Just 8% of Republicans and 5% of White evangelicals say this is the case.
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Many Latin Americans – especially Protestants – see a role for religion in national leadership, identity and laws
Majorities in Brazil, Colombia and Peru want leaders who stand up for their religious beliefs. Protestants are especially supportive of Christianity in public life.
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Key facts about same-sex marriage around the world, 25 years after the Netherlands legalized it
Twenty-five years after the first nationally recognized same-sex marriages, nearly 40 places now allow them. But their prevalence varies, as do public attitudes.
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About 6 in 10 Americans don’t have moral objections to medical aid in dying
Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to call physician-assisted death morally wrong (48% vs. 23%).
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What Do Americans Consider Immoral?
Nine-in-ten Americans say having an affair is wrong. Republicans and Democrats differ sharply on the morality of abortion and homosexuality.
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Americans are less likely than people in many other countries to see gambling as morally wrong
In many other surveyed countries, about half of adults or more see gambling as immoral. This includes 89% in Indonesia, 83% in India and 71% in Italy.
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Public Opinion on Abortion
Abortion has long been a contentious issue in the United States, and it is one that sharply divides Americans along partisan, ideological and religious lines.
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Why is Buddhism shrinking worldwide?
The global population of Buddhists shrank by roughly 5% between 2010 and 2020, the sole major religious group to decline.
