Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
The Pew Research survey finds that nearly all Catholics and Protestants in most Latin American countries believe in God. In a number of countries, most of those who are unaffiliated with any religion also say they believe in God. However, the survey finds significant differences between Catholics, Protestants and the unaffiliated when it comes to […]
Public support for allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally continues its rapid rise: A 57% majority of Americans now favor allowing same-sex marriage, up from 42% just five years ago.
Latin America is home to more than 425 million Catholics – nearly 40% of the world’s total Catholic population – and the Roman Catholic Church now has a Latin American pope for the first time in its history. Yet identification with Catholicism has declined throughout the region, according to a major new Pew Research Center […]
Nearly two years into his papacy, Pope Francis continues to be widely popular: Seven-in-ten Americans view him favorably, including 90% of U.S. Catholics.
Media Contact: Katherine Ritchey, Communications Manager 202-419-4372, kritchey@pewresearch.org Washington, March 5, 2015 — Nearly two years after becoming the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis continues to grow more popular among Americans, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Fully nine-in-ten U.S. Catholics now say they have a favorable view of Francis, including […]
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.
Christians remain by far the largest religious group in the United States, but the Christian share of the population has declined markedly. In the past seven years, the percentage of adults who describe themselves as Christians has dropped from 78.4% to 70.6%. Once an overwhelmingly Protestant nation, the U.S. no longer has a Protestant majority. […]
39% of Americans identify as independents, more than they do as Democrats ( 32%) or as Republicans (23%). This is the highest percentage of independents in more than 75 years of public opinion polling.