Why the U.S. census doesn’t ask Americans about their religion
The Census Bureau has collected data on Americans’ income, race, ethnicity, housing and other things, but it has never directly asked about their religion.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
The Census Bureau has collected data on Americans’ income, race, ethnicity, housing and other things, but it has never directly asked about their religion.
Although Catholicism has long been one of the largest U.S. religious groups, John F. Kennedy and Joe Biden are the only Catholic presidents.
Among White Americans, worship service attendance remains highly correlated with presidential vote choice.
America’s religious groups are deeply divided about Joe Biden’s performance so far, just as they were about Donald Trump throughout his term.
Among churches that posted their sermons, homilies or worship services online between Aug. 31 and Nov. 8, 2020, two-thirds posted at least one message from the pulpit mentioning the election. But discussion varied considerably among the four major Christian groups included in this analysis.
67% of U.S. Catholics say Joe Biden should be allowed to receive Communion during Mass, while 29% say he should not be allowed to do this.
Most U.S. adults do not believe that requests for religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine are sincere.
Half of all U.S. adults think evangelical Christians will lose influence in Washington under President Joe Biden’s new administration.
Roughly two-thirds of atheists (65%) and six-in-ten agnostics (57%) either “strongly” or “somewhat” oppose the death penalty.
U.S. adults who are affiliated with a religion are less likely than religiously unaffiliated adults to support broadly legal marijuana.
1615 L St. NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
USA
(+1) 202-419-4300 | Main
(+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax
(+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries
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.
© 2024 Pew Research Center