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    New Pew Forum Poll Explores Why Americans Change Religious Affiliation

    Diverse Reasons, but Distinct Patterns Emerge A new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that Americans change their religious affiliation early and often, and the reasons they give for changing—or leaving religion altogether—differ widely depending on the origin and destination of the convert. CONTACT Mary SchultzCommunications Manager202.419.4556mschultz@pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/religion “Faith […]

  • fact sheet

    The Impact of Catholic Immigration and the Blaine Amendments

    In Bradfield v. Roberts (1899), the first of its two pre-Everson Establishment Clause cases, the high court upheld the federal government’s funding of a religiously owned and operated hospital because, the court reasoned, the hospital’s primary function was to provide secular care and treatment. Similarly, in Quick Bear v. Leupp (1908), the high court upheld […]

  • report

    Entering and Leaving the Ranks of the Unaffiliated

    Revised February 2011* Becoming Unaffiliated The biggest gains due to change in religious affiliation have been among those who say they are not affiliated with any particular faith. Overall, the 2007 “U.S. Religious Landscape Survey” found that 16% of the adult population is unaffiliated, with the vast majority of this group (79%) reporting that they […]

  • report

    About the Survey

    APPENDIX: SURVEY METHODOLOGY About the General Public Survey Results for the general public survey are based on telephone interviews conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International among a nationwide sample of 2,001 adults, 18 years of age or older, from April 28 to May 12, 2009 (1,500 respondents were interviewed on a […]

  • fact sheet

    Public Funding for Religious Schools

    After the Everson ruling, the Supreme Court did not hear a single case involving public funding of religion for more than 20 years. Beginning in 1968 and over the next 10 years, however, the high court heard a rapid succession of funding cases, a dozen in all. The increase in funding cases was tied to […]

  • report

    Changing Within Protestantism

    Revised February 2011* Eight-in-ten adults who were raised Protestant are still Protestant, and about two-thirds of this group (or 52% of all those raised Protestant) are still members of the same family of denominations (e.g. Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, etc.) in which they were raised. The other third (28% of all those raised Protestant) are now […]

  • report

    Prayer in America

    Nearly six-in-ten U.S. adults say they pray at least once a day although the frequency of prayer differs significantly by religious tradition, age, gender and income.

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    Congressional Favorability at 24-Year Low

    Overview Americans are extremely displeased with Congress, and there are already some signs that this could take a toll on the Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections. Currently, 37% express a favorable opinion of Congress, while 52% hold an unfavorable view. Positive opinions of Congress have declined by 13 points since April and are now […]