Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Seven ordained ministers hold seats in the new Congress – one more than the number in the very first U.S. Congress (1789-1791).[1. Figures for the number of clergy serving in the first Congress come from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.] But because Congress was a much smaller body in the late 18th century than […]
Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriage The public is evenly divided over whether businesses that provide wedding services, like catering or flowers, should be required to provide services to same-sex couples despite religious objections to same-sex marriage. Half (49%) say that wedding-related businesses should be required to provide services to same-sex couples just as they would to […]
The partisan preferences of religious groups have remained relatively stable in recent years. Majorities of black Protestants and the religiously unaffiliated continue to identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, and say they would vote for the Democratic congressional candidate in their district this fall. At the other end of the spectrum, white evangelical […]
Survey Report As the current session of Congress comes to a close without significant action to address illegal immigration, neither Republicans nor Democrats are especially happy with the way their respective parties have dealt with the issue. Just 37% of Republicans and Republican leaners think the GOP is doing a good job representing their views […]
Nearly 40% of the world’s Catholics live in Latin America, but many people in the region have converted from Catholicism to Protestantism, while some have left organized religion altogether.
Media Contact: Katherine Ritchey, Communications Manager 202-419-4564, kritchey@pewresearch.org Washington, Sept. 22, 2014 — Nearly three-quarters of the public (72%) now thinks religion is losing influence in American life, up 5 percentage points from 2010 to the highest level in Pew Research polling over the past decade. And most people who say religion’s influence is waning […]
There are deep divisions in the political typology over religious beliefs, views of the Bible and social issues such as homosexuality and abortion. And while the right and left differ over these issues, in many cases they also divide both parties’ coalitions. On fundamental views related to belief in God, 53% of the public says […]