Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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    1. In 2019, decline in number of countries with ‘very high’ government restrictions, social hostilities involving religion

    CORRECTION (Dec. 19, 2025): Two charts and some of the text in Chapter 1 have been corrected with updated SHI figures. Refer to the errata page for details.  Countries with the most extensive government restrictions on religion Government restrictions on religion vary from country to country, and some countries have much higher scores on the Government Restrictions […]

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    1. Changes in son preference, ultrasound use and fertility

    Among Indians overall, sex selection during pregnancy is at least in part a result of a cultural preference for sons over daughters, which may be thought of as “son preference” or “daughter aversion,” or both. A preference for sons seems to be implied in the ancient Hindu epic “Mahabharata,” in which Gandhari is blessed to […]

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    1. Hispanics’ views of the U.S. political parties

    Hispanics generally have more positive attitudes toward the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, viewing the Democratic Party as more concerned about Hispanics and their interests. They also are more likely to say Democrats work hard to earn the votes of Hispanics than they are to say the same about Republicans. Even so, the positive […]

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    2. Harassment of religious groups reaches new peak in 2019

    The number of countries and territories where religious groups experienced harassment by governments and social groups reached 190 (out of 198 analyzed) in 2019, a higher number than in any other year of the study. This figure is up from 185 in 2018. The harassment measured in the study includes a wide variety of actions […]

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    10. Religion and food

    Several of India’s most widely practiced religions include strict dietary laws. For instance, Islamic teachings have guidelines for halal eating, forbidding the consumption of pork and other products. Many Jains avoid not only meat but also root vegetables to avoid destroying the entire plant, which is seen as a form of violence in Jain theology. […]

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    Methodology

    This section describes the sources and variables used for the analyses in this report. It explains known limitations of the data. Next, it outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the map used, as well as possible alternatives and reasons why data is shown as missing in some areas. Finally, the multilevel mixed-effects modeling used in […]

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    Acknowledgments

    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 Researcher Gregory A. Smith, Associate Director, Research Research Team         Alan Cooperman, Director of Religion Research Besheer Mohamed, Senior Researcher Becka A. Alper, Senior Researcher Kiana Cox, Research Associate Claire Gecewicz, Research Associate […]