Religion

data essayJun 25, 2025

Nearly seven-in-ten Americans identify with a religion – higher than the shares seen in several other wealthy countries. Explore our interactive feature to see how the U.S. compares with more than 30 countries on questions about spirituality and religion.

Related: Believing in Spirits and Life After Death Is Common Around the World

short readJul 29, 2025

reportJun 16, 2025

Woman praying with rosary beads in hands

reportJun 9, 2025

Bar chart showing that Christians are the world’s largest religious group

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short readsMar 6, 2014

Data Feed: Pope’s first year, SAT trends, women in parliament

A daily roundup of fresh data from scholars, governments, think tanks, pollsters and other social science researchers. Politics Why Republicans should be worried about 2016, The Washington Post Secretary of State John Kerry’s favorability rising in U.S., Gallup Obama’s approval hits new low, topline, Fox News Republicans resistant to Christie for 2016 bid, Washington Post/ABC […]
reportMar 6, 2014

How U.S. Catholics View Pope Francis: In Their Own Words

Each Wednesday and Saturday evening, Naomi Magel and her husband attend Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Elgin, Texas. After the service, the couple takes their pastor, the Rev. George Joseph, out for something to eat. Over the past year, one subject has come up in conversation again and again. “We talk about Pope […]
reportMar 6, 2014

U.S. Catholics View Pope Francis as a Change for the Better

One year into his pontificate, Pope Francis remains immensely popular among American Catholics and is widely seen as a force for positive change within the Roman Catholic Church. More than 80% of U.S. Catholics say they have a favorable view of the pontiff.
reportMar 6, 2014

Media Coverage of Pope Francis’ First Year

One year into Francis’ papacy, an analysis by the Pew Research Center finds that the former Jesuit archbishop – who was named Time’s Person of the Year – ranked among the top global newsmakers in major U.S.-based digital news outlets.
short readsFeb 27, 2014

Strong support for Israel in U.S. cuts across religious lines

The American Israel Public Affairs Council meets in Washington starting Sunday to lobby on issues affecting that country, and it can look to American Christians as a source of support for Israel.
short readsFeb 25, 2014

Arizona bill sparks debate about religious objections to gay marriage

The bill would allow business owners to cite religious beliefs as a reason for denying services – including to same-sex couples – without fear of legal retribution.
presentationFeb 24, 2014

The Internet and Religion: The Great Disruption

How Americans use digital technology and their implications for religious institutions.
short readsFeb 20, 2014

Q/A: How Pew Research mapped the conversations on Twitter

A conversation with Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Internet Project, about the project’s new report on mapping Twitter conversations.
reportFeb 10, 2014

Russians Return to Religion, But Not to Church

Between 1991 and 2008, the share of Russian adults identifying as Orthodox Christian rose from 31% to 72%, according to data from the International Social Survey Programme. During the same period, the share of Russia’s population that does not identify with any religion dropped from 61% to 18%.
short readsFeb 7, 2014

Sochi Olympics shine spotlight on Russia’s Muslim population

Security has been among the main storylines leading up to the Winter Olympics, set to begin in Sochi, Russia. Sochi is not far from the city of Volgograd, the target of several recent suicide bombings, and according to The Associated Press, up to 100,000 security personnel have been deployed to guard against potential terrorist acts. […]

Signature Reports

reportFeb 26, 2025

After years of decline, the U.S. Christian share now shows signs of leveling off. The new Religious Landscape Study explores trends in identity, beliefs and practices.

data essayDec 21, 2022

The Global Religious Futures (GRF) project is jointly funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and The John Templeton Foundation. Here are some big-picture findings from the GRF, together with context from other Pew Research Center studies.

reportMay 21, 2025