Becka A. Alper is a senior researcher at Pew Research Center. She contributes to the Center’s domestic religion polls. Before joining the Center, Alper was a postdoctoral research associate working on the Youth Activism Project at the University of Arizona. Alper received doctorate and master’s degrees in sociology from Purdue University. Alper is a contributing author of Pew Research Center reports such as “America’s Changing Religious Landscape,” “U.S. Catholics Open to Non-Traditional Families,” Choosing a New Church or House of Worship,” “Israel’s Religiously Divided Society” and “A Portrait of American Orthodox Jews.”
Becka A. Alper
Expertise:
Twitter: balper
Publications
When Americans think about a specific religion, here are some of the first people who come to mind
More than half of U.S. adults name the pope (47%) or a specific pope (7%) when asked who comes to mind when they think of Catholicism.
6 facts about what Americans know about religion
Americans with higher education and income are more likely to be involved in community groups
Nearly six-in-ten Americans participate in some type of community group or organization, including 11% who say they take part in at least four such groups.
From the Solidly Secular to Sunday Stalwarts, a look at our new religious typology
Most American adults identify with a religion, describing themselves as Protestants, Catholics or Jews, to name just a few examples. But a new Pew Research Center analysis looks at beliefs and behaviors that cut across many religious identities, producing a new and revealing classification, or typology, of religion in America that sorts U.S. adults into seven cohesive groups.
Why America’s ‘nones’ don’t identify with a religion
Six-in-ten religious "nones" in the U.S. say the questioning of religious teachings is a very important reason for their lack of affiliation. The second-most-common reason is opposition to the positions taken by churches on social and political issues.
Though still conservative, young evangelicals are more liberal than their elders on some issues
The generation gap between millennials and older adults on social and political issues exists even among evangelical Protestants.
If the U.S. had 100 people: Charting Americans’ religious beliefs and practices
See a profile of American religious beliefs and practices if the country were made up of exactly 100 adults.
If the U.S. had 100 people: Charting Americans' religious affiliations
Imagining the U.S. as a town of 100 people can help illuminate the nation's religious diversity.
6 facts about U.S. Mormons
Mormons place a very high value on good parenting and a successful marriage, and they are among the most involved in their congregations of any Christian faith.
5 facts about Israeli Christians
A Pew Research Center survey of Israel provides a rare window into the religious beliefs and practices of this close-knit group.
