Christians faced widespread harassment in 2015, but mostly in Christian-majority countries
Christians were harassed by governments or social groups in a total of 128 countries in 2015 – more countries than any other religious group.
By two standard measures of religious observance – how often people pray and how often they attend religious services – Central and Eastern Europeans, on the whole, show modest levels of religious commitment. In none of the countries surveyed do a majority of respondents say they pray daily or attend worship services weekly. In some […]
People in Central and Eastern Europe generally see churches and other religious institutions – now back in the public sphere after being largely hidden during the Soviet era – as making positive contributions to society. Respondents in the region tend to say that churches play beneficial roles in their countries by strengthening social bonds and […]
This report is a collaborative effort based on the input and analysis of the following individuals. Find related reports online at pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/religion. Primary Researchers Besheer Mohamed, Senior Researcher Gregory A. Smith, Associate Director of Research Research Team Alan Cooperman, Director of Religion Research Jessica Hamar Martínez, Senior Researcher Elizabeth Podrebarac Sciupac, Research Associate Becka A. […]
Religion has reasserted itself as an important part of individual and national identity in a region that was once dominated by atheist communist regimes.
More than two decades after the fall of the Soviet Union and the arrival of free elections in much of Central and Eastern Europe, the level of support for democracy across the region is mixed, especially in comparison with other regions previously surveyed by Pew Research Center. In sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, for example, […]
Orthodoxy is the dominant religion in Central and Eastern Europe, and the majority religion in 10 of the 18 countries surveyed. Overall, nearly six-in-ten people in the region (57%) identify with this Christian tradition. Moldova and Greece have the highest Orthodox proportions in their populations, while Russia and Ukraine – the two largest countries surveyed […]