Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Question 1: Measuring religious identity How does Pew Research Center measure the religious identity of survey respondents and the religious composition of the U.S.? Answer: Generally, we rely on respondents’ self-identification. A key question we ask in many surveys is: “What is your present religion, if any? Are you Protestant, Roman Catholic, Mormon, Orthodox such […]
Government restrictions by region In 2016, the global median level of government restrictions on religion increased slightly to 2.8 from 2.7 in 2015. The median score rose in three out of five regions (the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East-North Africa region) and remained about the same in two regions (Asia-Pacific and Europe). While […]
A new analysis looks at beliefs and behaviors that cut across many religious denominations – important traits that unite people of different faiths, or that divide those of the same religious affiliation.
L’Europe de l’Ouest, berceau du protestantisme et cœur du catholicisme durant la plus grande partie de son histoire, est maintenant l’une des régions les moins religieuses dans le monde. Bien que la vaste majorité des adultes soient baptisés, nombre d’entre eux ne se décrivent pas comme étant chrétiens. Certains disent s’être peu à peu éloignés […]
Social scientists have proposed various explanations for age gaps in religious commitment around the world. One common explanation is that new generations become less religious in tandem with economic development – as collective worries about day-to-day survival become less pervasive and tragic events become less frequent. According to this line of thinking, each generation in […]