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Short-form data and analysis from Pew Research Center writers and social scientists. To view all our reports and publications, visit our main Publications page.

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Stockton, Alabama, USA - April 22, 2023: Montpelier Methodist Church is pictured in Baldwin County Bicentennial Park in Stockton, Alabama. The church was built in 1895.

How religion declines around the world

Religion in a country tends to decline in three transitional stages that unfold across generations, a new paper using Center data proposes.

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    Less Happy Smokers

    A quarter of current smokers say that they are very happy, compared with more than a third of quitters and almost four-in-ten non-smokers.

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    Stressed Smokers

    Half of all smokers say they “frequently” experience stress, compared with 35% of former smokers and 31% of those who never smoked.

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    Want Tighter Financial Regulation

    Six-in-ten Americans think it is a good idea for the government to regulate more strictly the way major financial companies do business.

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    Health Care Spending Trumps Deficit

    Most Americans (59%) say they would place a higher priority on spending more money to make health care more accessible and affordable than on reducing the budget deficit.

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    Have Confidence in Obama on Economy

    Seven-in-ten say they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in Obama to fix the economy; 55% say that about Democratic leaders and 38% about Republican leaders.

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    Republicans Say Own Leaders Unclear

    As many Republicans say their party’s leaders have failed to clearly articulate their position (42%) as say they have explained themselves clearly (41%).

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    Minority Enrollment in Suburban Schools

    Virtually all of the 3.4 million increase in suburban public school enrollments over the past decade and a half has been due to a rapid increase in Latino — and to a lesser degree — black and Asian students.

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    Think Obama is A Muslim…Still

    Since his appearance on the national scene, a consistent one-in-ten Americans say Barack Obama is a Muslim; another 35% say they do not know Obama’s religion.

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    Reluctant Suffragettes

    Not until 60 years after passage of the 19th Amendment did women finally turn out in equal voting proportion to their male compatriots. What took them so long?