Majority of U.S. Catholics Express Favorable View of Pope Francis
Most say Francis represents change in the church. And many say the church should allow priests to marry and let Catholics use birth control.
Justin Nortey
Research Analyst
Justin Nortey is a research analyst at Pew Research Center focusing on religion. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame.
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9 facts about U.S. Catholics
Catholics are one of the largest religious groups in the United States, outnumbering any single Protestant denomination.
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Religious ‘Nones’ in America: Who They Are and What They Believe
28% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular” when asked about their religion.
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Spirituality Among Americans
Overall, 70% of U.S. adults describe themselves as spiritual in some way, including 22% who are spiritual but not religious. An overwhelming majority of U.S. adults (83%) say they believe that people have a soul or spirit in addition to their physical body. And 81% say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we cannot see it.
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Why some Americans prefer to go to religious services in person and others prefer to watch virtually
Some 17% of U.S. adults regularly attend religious services in person and watch them online or on TV.
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Online Religious Services Appeal to Many Americans, but Going in Person Remains More Popular
About a quarter of U.S. adults regularly watch religious services online or on TV, and most of them are highly satisfied with the experience. About two-in-ten Americans (21%) use apps or websites to help with reading scripture.
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How the Pandemic Has Affected Attendance at U.S. Religious Services
During the pandemic, a stable share of U.S. adults have been participating in religious services in some way – either virtually or in person – but in-person attendance is slightly lower than it was before COVID-19. Among Americans surveyed across several years, the vast majority described their attendance habits in roughly the same way in both 2019 and 2022.
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Younger evangelicals in the U.S. are more concerned than their elders about climate change
Evangelical Protestant adults under 40 are more likely than older evangelicals to say climate change is an extremely or very serious problem.
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10 facts about Black Republicans
Black Republicans tend to support individualistic approaches to addressing racial inequality, while Black Democrats back institutional approaches.
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Americans differ by party, age over ways to reduce the number of abortions in the U.S.
U.S. adults disagree over whether legal restrictions on abortion are an effective way to reduce the number of abortions in the U.S.
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