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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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  • short reads

    See Microwave Oven as Essential

    That’s the number of Americans who now describe microwave ovens as a necessity in their lives — more than double the number who said so 10 years ago and a higher percentage than those who now deem a TV essential (64%).

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    The Promised Land and the Second Coming

    That’s the number of American adults who say the state of Israel is a fulfillment of the biblical prophesy about the second coming of Jesus. A still larger number, 44%, believe God gave the land that is now Israel to the Jewish people.

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    Think U.S. Should Mind Its Own Business

    That’s the number of Americans who now say that the U.S. should “mind its own business internationally,” up from 34% in 2004, and just 30% in 2002.

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    Wise Men, er, Cable Guys Bearing Gifts

    CramerWhat do Bill O’Reilly, Anderson Cooper and Jim Cramer have in common? The three cable news personalities are all hawking their own line of gifts — from varsity jackets to fitness kits to bobblehead dolls. If you’re wondering how to spend those holiday gifts of cash you may have gotten, here’s a chance to declare your loyalty in the fierce cable news wars.

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    Expect an Improved Economy

    That’s the number of Americans, about one-in-five, who think the economy will be better off a year from now, while 18% say it will be worse off, and most Americans (56%) say it will be about the same as now.

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    There’s a Robot on the Line for You

    That’s the portion of registered voters who received recorded telephone messages in the final stages of the 2006 mid-term election. These so-called “robo-calls” were the second most popular way for campaigns and political activists to reach voters, trailing only direct mail as a key tool of political communication.

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    At the Top of the Public’s Mind in 2006: Gas Prices

    That’s the number of Americans who said in May that they were following the news about high gas prices very closely–making prices at the pump the most closely tracked of any other story, including Iraq, during 2006.

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    The Future Isn’t What It Used to Be

    That’s the number of Americans who now rate the quality of the life they expect to be leading five years from now higher than their current quality of life. As recently as 2002, more than six-in-ten (61%) Americans said their future would be better than their present.

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    News on the Net

    That is the percentage of home broadband users who get news online on a typical day. Those who used broadband were much more likely to include online news in their daily media diet than were dial-up users. Just 26% of those with dial-up service get news online on a typical day.

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    Optimistic About ’07

    That’s the number of Americans who say that things will be better in the new year — though only 28% are satisfied with current national conditions.