Jonathan Evans is a senior researcher at Pew Research Center, where he contributes to international polling projects focused on religion and national identity. Jonathan received his master’s degree from Georgetown University and holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. He is an author of studies on “How Indians View Gender Roles in Families and Society,” “Religion in India: Tolerance and Segregation,” “Being Christian in Western Europe” and “Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe.”
Views vary on other ideas, such as recognizing same-sex marriages. Most see Pope Francis as a change in the church’s direction, and he’s broadly popular.
Pope Francis is broadly popular in much of Latin America and the U.S., but favorability has fallen in the Latin American countries surveyed.
Adults in Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Philippines are the most likely to say it is important to have a leader who stands up for people with their religious beliefs.
People in sub-Saharan Africa are typically among the most likely to say that religion is very important in their lives.
Many people in the region – including the religiously unaffiliated – hold religious or spiritual beliefs and engage in traditional rituals.
Few are religiously affiliated, but many in the region hold religious or spiritual beliefs and engage in traditional rituals.
Most Americans say religion’s influence is shrinking, and about half (48%) see conflict between their own religious beliefs and mainstream American culture.
Only 35% of Israelis believe that Israel and an independent Palestine can coexist peacefully, down from 44% in 2017.
Most people in all six South and Southeast Asian countries surveyed say they believe in God or unseen beings.
In Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Lanka, more than 90% of Buddhists see strong links between their religion and country. In the neighboring countries of Malaysia and Indonesia, nearly all Muslims say being Muslim is important to being truly part of their nation.
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